Upon arriving at GW my freshman year, I was disappointed to find that the student theatre groups had very little available to them in regards to performance space. From my experience, there is a large interest at GW for the performing arts, theatre included—so why is it that three very active student theatre groups have to share one small space (that is in desperate need of a fixer-upper) in the basement of Lisner auditorium? In order to accommodate the constant activity of these groups, they must have a space in which to perform. When you have three groups with up to three productions a semester (that’s nine total productions), it becomes a scheduling nightmare to try and fit all of those productions into one space, within one semester. With such a large interest in the performing arts at GW, why is it that more spaces and resources are not available to these student groups? At a school that wows freshmen every year with a laser light show, you’d think that doing Hamlet on ice could be in the works.

It’s understood that funding for any of GW’s many student groups does not grow on trees, but why is there not more support from the University when it comes to the Arts? The student funding for student orgs comes from the SA, but the spaces come from the University, do they not? In addition, considering the recent debacle with the Lisner Downstage (musicals being barred from the space), theatre groups on campus are in even more of a bind than before. How can we encourage more beneficial funding and facilities allotment for student theatre at GW so that the programs have a chance to grow with the students and their passions, ultimately benefiting the GW community and the University as a whole?