Peck School of the Arts facilities and production staff (from left) Jessica Berlin Krivsky, Randy Trumbull-Holper and Lisa Dickson stand in the renovated Mainstage Theatre, which is reopening 11 months after a fire. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
UWM students Ellie Trotter (left) and Issac Hopper (right) talk construction while building scenery for "12 Ophelias," the first production to be held in UWM's newly reopened Mainstage Theatre. (UWM Photo/Alexis Amenson)
UWM student Lydia Skarivoda helps build scenery for "12 Ophelias." (UWM Photo/Alexis Amenson)
LeRoy Stoner, chair of the UWM Theatre Department, stands in front of renovated rigging while talking about the energy efficient LED lights that replaced the original '60s-era lighting system that was destroyed in last spring's accidental fire in UWM's Mainstage Theatre. (UWM Photo/Alexis Amenson)
UWM senior and stage manager Brooke Olson sits in a renovated flexible space in the Mainstage Theatre, designed to accommodate students who use wheelchairs and other adaptive devices. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
LeRoy Stoner (left), associate professor and Theatre Department chair, and Randy Trumbull-Holper, facilities director for UWM's Peck School of Arts, relax in the new, larger seats in the Mainstage Theatre. They were two of the first people allowed back into the theater after the fire. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
The despair that followed the fire at UWM’s Mainstage Theatre in April 2017 was quickly replaced with determination and optimism. Work began immediately to rebuild, and 11 months later, the theater is ready for the spotlight again.
The theater is not just rebuilt, but improved. The 1960s era equipment has been modernized, with improved lighting and acoustics, brand new seats and ceilings and other improvements.
“We did put the theater back in a better place than it was,” said Jessica Berlin Krivsky, production manager at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts. “The state of theater itself has grown and changed so much that it’s nice that we’ve caught up with it. I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances, but the reopened theater is a huge benefit for the program and our students.”
The reopening of the Mainstage Theatre coincides with the March 7 to 11 run of “12 Ophelias.” The next scheduled performance is the musical “9 to 5,” running May 2-6. For tickets to “12 Ophelias” or “9 to 5,” go to the Peck School of the Arts box office online or call 414-229-4308. Later this spring, the Peck School will announce a grand-reopening Shakespeare production scheduled for fall 2018, and featuring guest performers and a guest director.