Ask Student Union Director Shirley Plakidas about the ongoing renovations to the building, and it is clear that the she is most excited about the upcoming opening of the renovated Union Theater.According to Plakidas, the theater will be complete enough to occupy by the beginning of the fall semester and should be completely finished following minor touches during the winter intersession.The theater, which has been closed since 2008, has undergone a complete overhaul from the poor acoustics and antiquated technology that marked the structure’s previous existence.”We found out as we were planning the changes to the place that we had a reputation among the touring show companies for our outdated lighting and sound equipment,” Plakidas said.Plakidas said the first concern in the renovation process was to dramatically enhance the experience for anybody attending an event in the theater.”So, as a staff, we made sure that the building would have state-of-the-art sound and completely up-to-date lighting,” she said.A major part of the renovation has involved restructuring the dimensions of the theater to further enhance sight lines and sound quality.”We’ve pulled the walls in a bit and reconfigured the terrace level so that the place looks smaller without losing any available seating,” Plakidas said. “That’s something that we worked very hard to make happen, and I think it adds a great level of intimacy to the shows there, not only for the audience but also the performers as well.”Plakidas also said the entire theater was basically gutted with only some wall frames remaining as part of the original structure.”It’s essentially an entirely new theater inside of parts of the old structure,” Plakidas said.One of the theater’s major problems was the orchestra pit and its often fickle nature.”There were so many problems with that area,” Plakidas said. “You would try to lower it when the production didn’t require its use, and it would get stuck halfway down.”Also, the number of bathrooms in the theater has been nearly tripled, said Plakidas.”Bathrooms don’t sound like a big deal to anybody until you remember that when you have shows, everybody’s trying to go to the bathroom in a 15-minute stretch,” Plakidas pointed out.A decision to change the infamous orange seats in the Union was made mostly on the basis of aesthetic appeal despite the seats’ nostalgic value, Plakidas said.As the theater nears completion, Plakidas is optimistic it will be one of the highlights of the new Student Union.”The theater has turned out better than we imagined,” Plakidas said. “The blueprints for the place just don’t do it justice.”–Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]