Year after year, 24th St. Theatre has hosted successful plays prepared by Lake students, professors and actors. Working together, these individuals have only one goal, to deliver an enchanting and engaging story.

This story is the one thing that matters to the audience, but many other components, actions and issues make this story come to life. A piece of equipment or costume is an important complement to the actor and to the whole production.
           
Having reliable equipment, set pieces or costumes offers more opportunities and less expenditures for the producers. According to drama department chair Victor Treviño, it is harder to do period pieces when there are “no set pieces or costumes to rely on.”

“It could be done, but the budget would be gone,” after one play, states Treviño.
Often these items need to be built or rented, adds tech person Eric Treviño.
           
The budget for the drama department and the 24th St. Theatre is assigned from university funds once a year. The assigned budget should cover the productions and the equipment needed for both classes and plays throughout the school year.

In order to preserve funds and perform more than one play, the drama crew builds, repairs, adjusts and reuses the pieces and costumes that already exist. By doing this every year, the costume shop and the stage are enriched.
           
But the “biggest problem is finding the space. If we build a set piece, we don’t have anywhere to put it,” says Victor Treviño. The costume shop contains pieces from many different periods, with the oldest dating to “more than 35 years ago.”

Student Vanessa Gomez says that even though some costumes get eliminated, especially contemporary pieces, “the shop is still full and has very little room.”
           
However, Eric Treviño insists that the theatre contains material and equipment that is workable. “The equipment at the 24th surpasses Thiry’s which is out of date,” he says.

Some innovations have occurred in the last few months including new lighting and a sound board were added. In addition, more make-up stations were added to the green/ production room. These additions and the new offered course for stage make up, means that “plays are going to get more in-depth,” says Eric Treviño.