Williams Arts Campus Expands

Home to the film and media studies program and theater department, 248 N. Third Street on the Williams Arts Campus opened this fall. It features a TV/shooting studio, advanced editing suites, media labs, a studio theater, and more.

“We now have the best in equipment, software, and facilities to help students learn how to become thoughtful, effective, ethical makers of media,” says Andy Smith, chair of film and media studies. “We are developing a community of media practitioners where collaboration is central.”

Students will learn the fundamentals of lighting, camera, and sound in the Sandbox, the new TV studio. They will shoot episodes for a web TV series they are developing.

Students observe rehearsal for choreographer Nora Gibson’s dance troupe in the new studio theater.

Construction of Phase 2 at 219 N. Third Street, which began this summer, is scheduled for completion in December 2015. The building will house the Daniel H. and Sandra Weiss Black Box Theater, state-of-the-art cinema, scene shop, media room, and classrooms.

The new building will host courses that better prepare students for careers and graduate school in theater and film and media, while enhancing and expanding electives. It also will provide more opportunities for campus arts groups. The theater department will be able to schedule longer runs for shows, more workshops, and more student-directed performances, enhancing the theater experience overall, says Michael O’Neill, head of theater.