A proscenium is still a proscenium.

When NCSA Alumnus Robert “Barney” Barnwell showed up for his first day of work as a staff stagehand at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, he was lucky to find a beautiful new building waiting for him. The new complex, which opened in the summer of 2006 in downtown Minneapolis, offers the kinds of facilities that most recent college graduates wouldn’t get the chance to work in until further into their career.
“Everyday I wake up and feel lucky I get to go to work at the Guthrie. It is something most 22 year olds don’t get to do.”
Barnwell landed the job at the school of design and production’s annual job fair when he met production manager for the Guthrie Frank Butler.
“When I met Barney he shared his passion for running and maintaining shows with me. He was someone who had a really clear idea of what he wanted,” Butler said. He was impressed with Barney’s skills and experience, but was most impressed with his enthusiasm. “I can’t teach him to be excited about running shows, but I can take advantage of his enthusiasm.”
“A lot of what you learn at NCSA is not only the education in the classroom but what you get the opportunity to do professional through the local stagehands union and other projects throughout the area. These experiences were the building blocks to lay the foundation of where you can end up after you graduate.” Barnwell said.
“Ending up” at a completely new theater complex is a great thing. Barnwell says that the capabilities of what can be done in the new facility are expanded through the conveniences of the technology incorporated into the new building. The scene shop, previously located off site, is now located on the third floor of the parking complex next to the main building. There is a “production link” between the shop and the theaters where scenery can roll out of scene shop directly into the theater. The production link not only makes things a lot easier, but cuts down on the time to load in and cuts the cost of moving the scenery across town.
Cost savings and convenience aren’t the only things that new building offers. The new theater complex is now the home of all of the company’s theaters, shops and administrative offices, a change from the previous complex. Before the scene shop was across town and the costume shops operated on several floors, with administrative offices tucked into the far corner.
“At the new building you run into someone from the development office on your way to lunch or see tours going by when you are building. The set up allows for everyone to be close by so people all feel part of the team” Barnwell said.
“Working with the people is the thing you appreciate. A new facility is nice, but at the end of the day, a proscenium is still a proscenium.”