Thursday, December 8, 2016

THE AUDITORIUM: IS IT SAFE?

By NICOLE QUINONES

NICOLE QUINONES FOR WIZARD WEEKLY
The auditorium is supposed to be a safe place for students in the performing arts to escape.  It is also the location where assemblies, presentations, fundraisers and meetings are held. The auditorium is an area that is used so often, so why is it so broken? It is an old auditorium and, just by looking at the stage, one can assess that it hasn’t been sanded in years.  In addition, the seats are falling apart, the paint is chipping, and the carpet in the aisles are ancient and worn. 

The students in the performing arts are greatly affected by the damages, considering they have to spend 12 plus hours a week rehearsing and building sets. It is broken because it’s old but, more importantly, because nobody has cared about repairing it. It is not professional, which is ironic, because Masque and Mime is such a professional club. The students of Washingtonville deserve more than seats that collapse when they sit down and a stage that gives students splinters. Masque and Mime junior, Thomas Cudmore stated, “I wish for a better stage to produce our shows, we are good enough.” Before every show Masque and Mime has to lay down a black floor so it looks more professional and so nobody gets splinters. The club can’t just perform the shows, there is always that extra step that needs to be taken. 

In viewing shows performed at neighboring high schools in Orange County such as Newburgh, Warwick, Cornwall and Chester one can find students from Washingtonville comparing the auditoriums to their own. There is always a hint of jealousy in their voices when they speak of the other schools’ auditoriums.  All four aforementioned schools have a production box which makes controlling the lights and sound easier and a more private area for crew to work while the show is going on. Absent are the seats that people can’t sit in because of a “safety hazard”. Overall, compared to other high schools, the auditorium at Washingtonville is lacking the wow factor that it deserves.

Washingtonville High School's auditorium has the potential to be the best in Orange County. The size is unlike any other with stadium style seating and a huge stage. The downside to the necessary renovations is that it is costly. There are 750 seats in the auditorium that would need to be replaced.  The cost of this venture would be tremendous.  Now the question to ask is, is all of this money worth it and will the community be on board? The safety of the students at Washingtonville is more important than money. If a student accidentally sits in a broken chair and gets injured, the school is going to have to deal with that. 

When walking around the auditorium at Washingtonville High School, it is obvious that work is needed. The only object that has been replaced recently are the lights which were given and installed by the superintendent, Mr. Roy Reese. As a community, we are one step closer to having a better auditorium that is suitable for the faculty and students. Hopefully more renovations are in store for the future.


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