The new theatre has attractive new space.

The School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University will dedicate its new black box theatre to Louis O. Erdmann and William H. Zucchero — two celebrated emeriti faculty. The two had a direct impact on the growth and expansion of the School of Theatre and Dance over a nearly 30-year period, from the early 60s through the mid 80s.

The Louis O. Erdmann and William H. Zucchero Black Box Theatre, referred to as the EZ Theatre, is part of the new Roe Green Center for the School of Theatre and Dance. A dedication ceremony will take place on Friday, April 8, 2011, at 7:15 p.m. in the Roe Green Center lobby, just outside the theatre entrance. Following the ceremony, a combined performance of the annual Student Theatre Festival and a specially produced tribute to "Lou and Bill" will take place in the new space. The tribute is under the direction of Lou's son, Karl Erdmann, who also currently serves as the production supervisor for the School of Theatre and Dance and Porthouse Theatre. Tickets for the event are $15 per person and are available by calling the school box office at 330-672-2497 or visiting www.theatre.kent.edu. The box office is open weekdays from noon to 5 p.m. and accepts Visa, MC and Discover.

During their tenure, Louis O. Erdmann and William H. Zucchero built a theatre program to nurture and develop students. The dynamic duo began the Kent State program's long and rich tradition of success. The two co-founded the popular Porthouse Theatre, which this year celebrates its 43^rd season on the grounds of Blossom Music Center. Each in their own right — Erdmann on the instruction of lighting and scenic and technical designs and Zucchero on the instruction of play writing, directing and performance — combined to make momentous headway for the School of Theatre and Dance. Starting with a department offering only a B.A., they built the program into a dynamic, highly regarded School of Theatre offering four degrees — B.A., B.F.A, M.A. and Ph.D. (Dance wasn't added to the name until the mid-90s.)

The EZ Black Box Theatre is the centerpiece of the new Roe Green Center facility. The theatre will serve a multitude of needs, including a performance space dedicated to student creative projects such as student-directed plays and -choreographed dance concerts, as well as culminating experiences such as senior projects and musical theatre and M.F.A showcases. Serving as a primary classroom, the EZ Theatre will be used to present students' directing and playwriting projects.

When plans for the Roe Green Center were being designed and the creation of a new black box theatre was realized, it made sense that the school would begin a campaign to name the theatre for the two who had made such monumental changes to the school. The campaign quickly gained momentum when alumnus and Emmy award-winner Jeff Richmond, music supervisor/producer 30 Rock NBC Universal, and alumna and Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley, star of the Broadway hit Next to Normal, joined as co-chairpersons. Both had their lives touched by Erdmann and Zucchero. To date, the "Continue the Legacy" EZ Theatre Black Box Campaign has raised just a little over $200,000 for the naming rights of the theatre. In its final phase, the School of Theatre and Dance is still looking to raise the remaining $47,000 needed to close the campaign. Any alumni or community members wishing to donate to the EZ Theatre Campaign can visit www.theatre.kent.edu for more information or call the College of the Arts office at 330-672-2760 to donate over the phone.

"When I started my college career, it was a very exciting time at the Kent State Department of Theatre. I was a freshman saxophone major at the time, and it only took a matter of days and a couple of music history classes to realize the coolest folks were down the hall. And the coolest of the cool were the two gentlemen that ran that institution and ushered in all those achievements, Lou Erdmann and Bill Zucchero." Jeff Richmond, music supervisor/producer 30 Rock NBC Universal.

For further information, call 330-672-2082 or visit www.theatre.kent.edu.

Bios

William H. Zucchero, '52, joined the Kent State faculty in January 1954. He served as divisional coordinator from 1972 to 1983 and was the first director of the School of Theatre during its first academic year (1983-84). He was also the co-founder of Porthouse Theatre. When he retired in 1984 with 30 years of service, Dr. Zucchero was granted emeritus status. During his faculty years at Kent State, he directed or performed in more than 75 major theatrical productions, guided 46 M.A. candidates through their thesis and served as dissertation advisor to 12 Ph.D. candidates. The theatre program grew from a modest 25 undergraduate majors to more than 200 majors at levels including B.A., B.F.A., M.A. and Ph.D. and gained national recognition for its work. Since 1984, Dr. Zucchero continued to teach, direct and act — spending eight years at California State University, Northridge, where he retired in 1992.

Louis O. Erdmann , '58, professor emeritus of theatre at Kent State, received his master's from Kent State, and then began his illustrious career as an instructor in speech and as the technical director for University Theatre. In 1966, he received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Dr. Erdmann served as director of University Theatre (currently known as The School of Theatre and Dance) from 1971 until 1984. He was also the co-founder of Porthouse Theatre and served as the theatre's executive director. Dr. Erdmann was nationally recognized for his accomplishments in theatre productions at Kent State University and UW-Green Bay. His impressive and varied career in theatre included lighting design, scenic design and technical direction for hundreds of major productions at universities and nationally recognized theatres combined. At Kent State, he taught more than 40 different courses. In 1988, Dr. Erdmann was the recipient of the President's Medal.