On most weeknights, Furr Auditorium is filled with dancers working to perfect their routines.
But now, those dancers plan on perfecting more than just their technique; they want to perfect their performance space, too.
The dancers of the Southern Illinois Dance Company rehearse five nights a week in Furr Auditorium in Pulliam Hall, amid peeling paint, broken seats and old, faulty lighting.
Sarah Fader, a junior from Arlington Heights studying marketing and public relations, said the company, which has 18 active members and nine apprentices, is working toward a long-range goal of renovating the auditorium, one step at a time. The stage floor, which was replaced two years ago through private donations and fundraisers, has been the only upgrade the auditorium has received in some time, Fader said.
Pulliam Hall was constructed in the early 1950s, originally designed as a training school for student teachers to get hands-on experience teaching kindergarten through 12th grade.
Scott Weber, a supervising architect and engineer at the Physical Plant, said Furr has had minor renovations in recent years, such as air conditioning upgrades in the early 1990s and cosmetic changes such as fresh coats of paint.
“Outside of that, nothing significant,” Weber said.
In a letter dated March 1970 to the then Physical Plant director Anthony Blass, several problems were described in Furr Auditorium, including moisture penetration, flooring in poor condition and defective joints. It is unclear whether these changes were ever made to the auditorium.
Donna Wilson, faculty adviser to the Southern Illinois Dance Company, said she has been working with the company for 23 years, and in that time, no significant renovations have been made in the auditorium. Wilson said the auditorium suffers from normal wear and tear, but no one is willing to fund a necessary renovation.
“When I came in 1986, it was scheduled to be renovated,” Wilson said. “And then it wasn’t.”
Pulliam Hall was closed for two years in the late 1980s for renovation and asbestos removal, and Phil Gatton, Physical Plant director, said Furr was part of that renovation. Gatton said he was not sure if the auditorium was on the deferred maintenance list of the university.
Wilson said the audience area has been somewhat updated with cosmetic changes, but the stage, lighting and backstage areas have not been touched.
“What we have up there (on the stage) is original to the building,” Wilson said.
Wilson said for the short term, the group needs $25,000 to take care of the lighting above the stage, which is unsafe and unpredictable. She said part of the project has been approved, but her long-range goal would cost around $120,000 in repairs and renovations.
Wilson said she would like to transform the auditorium into a professional performance space, with lighting fixtures on the walls and a light board for shows.
“Just simple, basic theater stuff,” Wilson said. “(Furr Auditorium) is not really set up for performances, and we don’t have a staff (for shows).”
Fader said the company has not requested funds from Undergraduate Student Government in several years because it has not had much luck in the past. Fader said she has spoken with Priciliano Fabian, USG president, about the possibility of funding in the future.
Fader said USG is responsible for funding so many groups that she understands there are others who might need to come first, but she also does not want the company to be seen as just another student group.
“We actually feel like we’re a part of something that’s bigger than that,” Fader said.
Wilson said the company receives donations and also saves money into a foundation account for renovation. She said she hopes to get some money for renovations through donations from company alumni and possibly receive aid through the Capital Development Board’s school construction program. The program was appropriated $1.5 billion for school construction grants to provide new facilities, additions and renovations.
Leah Zulz, a senior from Washburn studying fashion design merchandising, said she has been involved in the company for five semesters. Zulz said the auditorium lighting system is in most need of upgrades.
“It’s hard to put on a professional-looking show with the lights that we have,” Zulz said. “We have a lighting board that’s really old and sometimes it doesn’t work, but we need it to work all the time.”
Zulz said the company has about $1,000 in its foundation account so far. It’s going to take a lot more to get there, she said, but the group wants the space to look as good as they do in performances.
“I think we’re all motivated to get it done,” Zulz said.
Shawna Wagner, a junior from Schaumburg studying zoology, said she has been in the company for five semesters and aside from the new stage, the place looks bleak.
“If you look around the rest of the place, you kind of get depressed,” Wagner said.
Wagner said she doesn’t think the university sees the group as a priority for funding, even though the space is deteriorating. Half the seats in the front row are broken, she said, and the paint on the walls is peeling off in large chunks. It’s used for lecture classes as well, Wagner said, and many students probably do not respect the area as a performance space.
Wagner said most of the existing lights go out unpredictably and are incredibly difficult to work with, even for professionals. There are times when bulbs will audibly blow out during rehearsals, Wagner said, making many uneasy while on stage.
“Sometimes even (the lighting designers) don’t know what to do,” Wagner said. “We don’t feel completely safe under (the lights) most of the time.”
Madeleine Leroux can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 254.
