[edit] The Black Box

The Black Box is the studio and student space for the Department of Theater. It is located in the basement of Eldred Hall and can be accessed by the public by descending steps and going through a large red door on the Millis side of the building. The stage is a three-quarters thrust stage, with audience sitting to the left, right and directly in front of performers. Seating is comprised of large, wooden church benches in addition to ample standing room for the audience. There is a light and sound booth located in the house right corner of the space, featuring a light board and minimal sound equipment. A large prop room is located up house left that stores props and costumes for shows currently in production. The space is marked by four large black pillars that sit at the four corners of the stage. A fair amount of lighting instruments, including Ellisoidals, Baby Fresnels, Fresnels and other miscellaeneous instruments hang from the pipes above the audience and stage. The Black Box is experiencing ongoing renovation headed by several of the student groups who regularly use the space.

The Black Box sees a great amount of use throughout the school year. THTR 224-Intro to Lighting Design uses it as a laboratory space, as does THTR 331-Directing II, the latter class presenting their projects at the end of Spring Semester. THTR 311-The Audition Labratory uses the Black Box as a classroom in the Fall. Undergraduate Senior Honors Projects are produced in the Black Box, most recently John DiAntonio's project The Pillowman and Lindsey McGowen's project Yuya both produced in Spring 2006, and Rachel Westropp's project Sexual Perversity in Chicago produced in December of 2004. In addition to academic projects, the space also serves as a performance venue for the student-run Players' Theatre Group, which mounts productions at least once, although more often twice, each semester; IMPROVment, Case's improvisational comedy troupe, fills the Black Box to capacity multiple times each semester. The building code for Eldred Theatre is ELDR.