Making Room on the Mainstage

The newly formed, six-member "Steering Committee on Dance" presented a report May 8 to University administrators requesting that a fifth slot on the Loeb mainstage be reserved for a yearly undergraduate dance performance. The students who formed the committee hope to stage the production for a two-week run each May. The group also called for the creation of a dance committee, similar to the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club (HRDC), in order to win recognition for an art form it feels has been marginalized at the University.

While this request seems simple enough, complex University politics may prevent its fulfillment. Harvard owns the Loeb Drama Center on Brattle Street, but allows the American Repertory Theater (ART), a professional drama company, to use the building. Undergraduates are currently allowed to stage four productions a year on the Loeb Mainstage.

The ART has a rather tenuous connection to Harvard--it is under the direction of Robert J. Orchard, who holds a Faculty of Arts and Sciences appointment but does not report to a College administrator. The company relocated to Cambridge from New Haven in 1979, and at that time Harvard had hoped that the ART, in exchange for their new home, would help train students in drama. However, due partially to the tightening lack of theater space on campus with the control of Agassiz Theatre and the Riemann Dance Center going to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and the coming renovations of the Hasty Pudding Building, the ART and undergraduates have found themselves vying with each other for time in the spotlight. While Associate Dean of the College, David P. Illingworth '71 said he "would love to see [the dancers] get their slot," he implied that the ultimate decision would be left up to Orchard and others at the ART.

While the presence of a professional theater company on campus may be a wonderful opportunity for Harvard's undergraduate drama community, the fact that students are limited in the use of the few available performance facilities is grounds for serious concern. Harvard's commitment should be to undergraduates, and the University should make every effort to foster creativity among its students; the many dance groups on campus certainly will gain needed prominence with a mainstage slot. As owner of the Loeb Drama Center, Harvard should accept the Steering Committee's proposal and work to establish the fifth show. The dance performance in May would not mean fewer ART performances--the company's summer production would only be pushed back one week. The growing "space crunch" that Harvard is experiencing is forcing the University to reevaluate its priorities, particularly in the dramatic sphere, and undergraduates should be at the top.