New Performing Arts Center

To Be Completed Summer 2011

By Sarah Forman

 

The Zachary School District is anxiously awaiting completion of construction of the new 40,000- square-foot Performing Arts Center at Zachary High School.  

 

“This facility will become the new home of Zachary High’s art, choir, and drama department, along with the band,” said Hubie Owens, an active member of the school board. “It will have seating for 450 people, along with an orchestra pit and six classrooms: three for art, one for band, one for drama and one for choir.”

Construction has begun on Zachary High School's new Performing Arts Center that is set to open next summer. Inset is an artist's rendering of the finished building.

 

The plan is to make it all state-of-the-art including a modified fly system for props to easily be moved.

 

Black Box Theater

The new building will include a black box theater especially for teaching and for smaller productions.   The black box theatre will be equipped with a sound board.

 

Also, there will be three classrooms dedicated to teaching art classes. “One of the classrooms will be attached to a patio for students to paint in natural light,” said Robert Swilley, who is also a Zachary School Board member.

 

“This facility can also serve other purposes,” he said.   “Along with being a nice place for performances, it can serve as a meeting place or for all kinds of presentations.”  

 

Swilley said the new facility is going to be great, in his opinion.   “And when a facility is well done, productions come out better – there is better sound quality and better lighting – and the audience enjoys it more.”  

 

Advancing the art department

When planning the future of the school district, the Board understood the need for a top flight facility for students to excel in the creative arts.   “A facility like this has always been in the master plan for the Zachary school system,” said Swilley.  

 

T he theatre was funded by the 2004 bond issue approved by Zachary voters. “With money allocated to the auditorium, and many projects coming in under budget, we have the funds to create this center to be the best that it can possibly be,” said Owens. “This project is long overdue.”

 

Present art and performing arts facilities at Zachary High have not been updated since the 1960s. But even though the facilities have been mediocre, students are still excelling in the arts. “In 2007, Zachary High’s wind ensemble was selected to play at Carnegie Hall at the National Youth Concert,” said Owens. .

 

Louis Gagliano, the theater teacher at Zachary middle school, will run the new facility.   He has been helping to develop the programs and specializations.  

 

“The movie industry is growing rapidly in Louisiana,” said Owens.   “Once the center is up and running, we will be able to teach all aspects of dramatic arts.   We will teach our students lighting, sound, stage management and every phase of behind the scenes work.”

 

Future Growth

Although construction has another year to go, the finished product will only better the opportunities Zachary High School students already enjoy, according to the School Board members.   Currently, students in the Zachary Community School System are involved in some sort of art department from pre-k until 12^th grade. The future Performing Arts Center is designed to expand their knowledge of band, choir, and all of the dramatic and visual arts.

 

The Performing Arts Center is on schedule.   It should be completed by summer 2011.