A grand opening ceremony marked the successful completion of Thompson Hall Monday after two years of construction.
The University began discussing necessary renovations in 2000, “when the building was a mere 75 years old”, according to Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Alex Miller.
The former gymnasium now houses two state-of-the-art theatres as well as craft studios, classroom spaces and lobbies.
“I have seen a lot of important changes in this building, but none that would come even close to what we have done in the last several years here. We have truly transformed this building,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford said.
“The transformation is amazing, just amazing,” one of the program’s music directors, Julie Florin, said. “The studio theatre is a real theatre now, instead of just lost space. Thompson just had its problems.”
Laura-Nelle Parnell, a senior in political science, entertained those taking self-guided tours with songs from “Cabaret” and other musicals in her first performance in Thompson on piano along with Florin.
“I have never done a show here, so I am very excited to have my last year in Thompson–It’s lovely. The acoustics are great and now maybe more people will come to shows now that we have this wonderful new theatre,” Parnell said.
Stressing the importance of such events, Woodward discussed in his speech the necessity of preservation as “all activities, sanctioned and unsanctioned, all created memories and all contributed to the history of this institution.”
“Too often cities and universities tear down the old in order to build the new,” Woodward said. “It happens on a university campus, especially one that is growing like North Carolina State, but every time we do that we lose a part of history. We need to maintain and nurture and preserve the history of our university.”
Furthermore, the preservation of Thompson and such buildings helps to bridge together past, present, and future students enhancing the feeling of community at the university, according to Woodward.
“We need to ensure that when students come, as 4,800 freshmen did this weekend, they immediately get a sense of the history of the university, the contributions that many, many have made prior to them. They need to know that they are indeed coming to a family that started many years ago, in fact, 120 years ago this month,” Woodward said.
Additionally, Woodward addressed the University’s role in the student’s life.
“We are an institution that educates–that means we are obligated to help students learn to be productive, engaged, and happy citizens, not just individuals who can achieve a successful professional life. We must offer them a broad educational experience. It is critical that they are exposed and educated in the humanities, the performing arts and the visual arts being a critical part of that.”
Black Sharrits, a physics and math double major, supports Woodward’s ideas of a well-rounded educational experience.
“Theatre for me is a hobby,” Sharrits said. “It’s just a different way of thinking. I tend to get so caught up in being a physics major and having to think mathematically. Being able to exercise my creative side augments creative, outside-the-box thinking really well.”
Sharrits, who is also an actor with University Theatre, is excited to have a stage to practice on.
“Rehearsing on a stage that you are going to be performing on is one of the best things for the rehearsal process,” Sharrits said. “Before, we were rehearsing in a small classroom that we had to tape out where the stage was and opening night was always weird, but now we’re acting on the stage and so you can envision it a lot better–what it’s going to be like and how it’s going to feel.”
Stafford said he wanted to encourage students to visit Thompson and its theatre and craft areas.
“If you have not been inside you [should] see all those things today and understand why I am so excited about the way this building looks,” Stafford said.
