THEATER ARTS
Appendix F8: Facilities Requests
Audience: Facilities Committee, Administrators
Purpose: To be read and responded to by Facilities Committee.
Background: Following the completion of the 2012 Chabot College Facility Master Plan, the Facilities
Committee (FC) has begun the task of re-prioritizing Measure B Bond budgets to better align with current
needs. The FC has identified approximately $18M in budgets to be used to meet capital improvement
needs on the Chabot College campus. Discussion in the FC includes holding some funds for a year or two
to be used as match if and when the State again funds capital projects, and to fund smaller projects that
will directly assist our strategic goal. The FC has determined that although some of the college's greatest
needs involving new facilities cannot be met with this limited amount of funding, there are many smaller
pressing needs that could be addressed. The kinds of projects that can be legally funded with bond
dollars include the "repairing, constructing, acquiring, equipping of classrooms, labs, sites and facilities."
Do NOT use this form for equipment or supply requests.
Instructions: Please fill in the following as needed to justify your requests. If requesting more than one
facilities project, please rank order your requests.
Brief Title of Request (Project Name): 1. THEATER ARTS STORAGE BUILDING.
2. 99 SEAT “BLACK BOX” THEATER
Building/Location:
1300
Description of the facility project. Please be as specific as possible.
Storage:
Our area is in dire and immediate need of a significant increase in storage space. Theater Arts currently
shares an extremely limited, dangerous and inefficient area for storage with the Performing Arts Center.
Our needs overlap and compete with each other. The storage space as it is now is not sufficient for either
Theater Arts OR the PAC by themselves, let alone combined.
The lack of space that we currently have is creating an unnecessarily challenging work environment,
multiple safety hazards, significant cost inefficiencies and a hindrance to student learning objectives.
New storage space for Theater Arts should include:
 A minimum of 1,200 sq. ft. for the storage of costumes.
 300 sq. ft. for the storage of building materials
 2,000 sq. ft. for the storage of set pieces, platforms, props and furniture.
New Theater
Small 99 seat , variable seating arrangement, black box theater, designed for lectures, intimate original
plays. 99 seats allows us to have a waiver from the performance unions, so we might be able to invite
artists to perform, many of whom might do so, because they are friends with our faculty members here.
What educational programs or institutional purposes does this equipment support?
STORAGE: The theater program would benefit greatly from an addition of a large storage unit.
 More furniture, set pieces, props and costumes could be stored, giving students greater access to
a variety of materials needed in theater design and performance.
 Funds that are now being spent on replacing and rebuilding set pieces and furniture that
currently gets stored outside and rots, could be used for other purposes, like upgrading


equipment and purchasing new building materials.
Significant safety issues would be addressed, giving students a safe working environment.
If the storage were made larger than what is requested here, it could also house important
equipment for which the PAC needs storage space. This would help the PAC, but would also
create more space in the shop for students to work on Theater Department projects.
NEW 99 SEAT THEATER
A 99 seat black box theater would give us an appropriate venue for student original plays, which are at
the heart of our program.
We are one of the few college campuses in California to not have a flexible 99 seat theater. We are also
one of the only colleges in California with a strong emphasis on the production of original student plays.
Briefly describe how your request relates specifically to meeting the Strategic Plan Goal and to
enhancing student learning?
STORAGE:The safety and cost issues we addressed in the previous box speak directly to this. Obviously,
all of the strategic plans need to take place in a safe environment. And wasting materials uses up funds that would
be better spent supporting courses that help the strategic plan.
NEW 99 SEAT THEATER
Live, intimate performance is integral to a comprehensive education, whether you are in the audience or on
stage. The space would provide lecture and reading opportunities as well productions of college shows. This
would free up Stage One for public use more often, and maximize our resources. It is a complicated project
and obviously, if it ever came to be a possibility, we would start from ground zero on it.
It is clear that this year’s report focuses on student learning and our strategic plan, but we have
some backlogged needs that didn’t find a home in this document so they are included here for
your reference.
Backlogged needs (from previous Program Reviews)
Equipment and technology:
We must maintain the safety and efficacy of our scene shop at all times. This means an ongoing
supply of tools, paint, maintenance costs, etc…Although we acquired some new tools last year,
we cannot ignore our ongoing need for maintenance, as well as our show supplies. We also need
to upgrade our technical booth with a laptop, projector, internet access and dual disk drives for
effective computer presentations that are becoming more integral to theater designs.
Our rehearsal space, room 1328, could more easily become a performance space if we can add
some lighting and sound equipment that would be more permanent. This would be an increase in
our maintenance and equipment supply budget, that may be combined with the PAC budget as
well. We are strongly considering transforming 1328 into a black box theater space, so as to
provide an intimate space for more experimental projects, such as student driven festivals of new
plays, and inter-departmental collaborations.
Facilities:
We need access to the TV/Film station during our class hours IF we are going more
vocational/commercial in our focus. Classes are dispersed around campus at this time. We
much prefer to have our classes held in the same general location (building 900, 1200) so as to
further build community among the students. A few of our classes are dispersed at this time.