It might not be December, but the MSU Department of Theater has its wish list ready.
At the beginning of each school year, the department files an Annual Progress and Productivity Report (APPR) to the Office of Facilities Planning in the provost's office requesting a list of items for future improvement, Interim Department Chairman Frank Rutledge said.
In the past, Rutledge said, the department has made requests for an air conditioner to be placed in the Auditorium's distinct, round Arena Theatre. This year they held off due to other demands.
"This year we didn't (make the request) because of the budget crunch and we knew it was pointless," he said.
"We shifted our request to technical equipment for the design area," Rutledge said. "We asked for more computers and a 48-inch copy machine."
Once administrators make their final decisions, Rutledge said, they "hope to hear (results) in the next couple of weeks."
The Office of Facilities Planning was unavailable for comment.
Rutledge added that he would like to make improvements to the Arena Theatre by adding a new floor, seating, a lobby and air conditioning.
Built in 1961, the Arena Theatre was designed to provide opportunity for undergraduates in experimental plays, Rutledge said.
"It allows beginners in design and directing an acting opportunity," he said. "The (space) is totally neutral and (transformable)."
Junior Jessica Cole said she began her MSU theater career working in the Arena Theatre.
"It's a nice place to start, like a baby step. If you go over to the Pasant Theatre, you can be blown away," Cole said. "I started doing student productions my freshman year as an assistant stage manager."
Cole, who said she has also worked on "The Cider House Rules" and "Three in the Back and Two in the Head," said getting cold is never an issue when in the Arena Theatre.
"The room has a tendency to be really hot," she said. She added that over the summer something in the cooling system broke and the heat index was higher than normal.
Cole said it would be nice to have new seats in the theater, considering some of the bolts are loose or broken.
"They are not supposed to rock, but they have a nice rocking-chair feel," she said. "They are supposed to be stationary and not moveable."
Theater sophomore Sloane Spencer said a new floor would be a great improvement.
"It would definitely improve the quality of the shows' acoustics and some other things if the floor was redone," she said.
