A broken platform at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium has forced performers to get creative with how they incorporate music into their shows.
The lift mechanism on the auditorium’s orchestra pit has been broken since March 30, making the platform stuck at the stage-level position. Because the pit floor cannot be lowered, musical ensembles cannot play hidden from the view of the audience.
“It poses significant challenges for us because there is nowhere else to put the orchestra except onstage,” said Steven Huang, director of Ohio University’s orchestras. “It has forced us to be more creative in how we present the opera.”
OU’s Opera Theatre and Orchestra recently performed the opera “The Magic Flute,” and had to work around the dysfunctional pit lift.
“Our orchestra has been wonderful adapting to the situation of being on display for the entire show,” said Richard Crist, director and producer of OU’s Opera Theatre, in an email. “… When adversity happens, it is always an opportunity to reinvent.”
The 35-piece orchestra performed at the back of the stage where the chorus would usually stand, so about 80 chorus singers were relocated to Memorial Auditorium’s balcony.
The orchestra pit was also used for storing equipment between shows, said Sujit Chemburkar, executive director of Baker University Center and University Events. Initial estimates indicate that fixing the platform’s lift mechanism could cost $75,000, he said.
“We’ve got a proposal in place now, so we’re working through all the different people on campus we need to get through,” Chemburkar said. “There’s no firm timeline, but there are plans.”
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