Tyler Hall Renovations Include a Seat-Naming Campaign for Waterman Theatre

A seat-naming campaign launched Sept. 1, offering donors an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy and play a leading role in program enhancements at the newly renovated Charlotte Waterman Theatre on the SUNY Oswego campus.

Part of a $22.2 million renovation slated for completion in mid-2016, Waterman Theatre will be the premier venue for a wide range of performing
arts events.

“Waterman Theatre’s walls have absorbed many a high moment, a good collection of wrong notes and a great deal of excitement over the years,” said Dr. Julie Pretzat, dean of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts. “We feel many will want to be part of that experience for years to come.”

Seat naming is a wonderful gift for an arts lover and a lasting tribute to a family member or loved one, Pretzat said. Each name will be engraved on a plaque affixed to one of the 410 seats available in the seat-naming campaign.

Seat-naming donations are 100 percent tax-deductible. Donors are not eligible to select a specific seat, nor does seat naming serve as a reservation for performances.

It is, however, a way to stay connected to the past while providing for the future, Pretzat said. All naming gifts support the School of Communication, Media and the Arts Equipment Fund.

Waterman Theatre is located inside Tyler Hall, which has been closed since the end of spring semester 2014 for renovations. The new theatre will feature state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, new rigging for curtains and backdrops, a new elevator for the orchestra pit and floor traps throughout the stage that may be removed to accommodate set design, according to Facilities Design and Construction Project Coordinator Robert Lloyd ’81 M’90. Two new catwalks will be built for a total of three, and an acoustical cloud ceiling is being installed.

The theatre’s seating has been reconfigured to be more audience-friendly, with two sets of stairs dividing the seating into three sections. There will be two levels of wing seating. Additionally, several seats can be removed to accommodate wheelchairs, and two lifts for stage actors and production staff have been added to the theatre.

“Waterman Theatre has always been sort of a ‘sacred space’ for students, faculty and alumni in music and theatre who have spent countless hours rehearsing and performing there,” Pretzat said. “Theatre and music performances from the past 40-plus years still echo in the memories of those who performed and attended.”

—Eileen Crandall