On March 24, 2018, fifty-six theater alumni and friends met
on campus for a one-day symposium. The goal of the symposium was to
strategically inform the design of the Black Box Theater, build support and
enthusiasm for the project and assess and identify sources of funding.
Chris Collins ’73, campaign
fund-raising chair, presided over the plenary session to vision the potential
beyond bricks and mortar. University President, Rev. Malachi Van
Tassell, T.O.R., Ph.D., Vice President for Advancement, Robert Crusciel ’86,
additional University administrators joined project architecture and planning
firm, IKM in opening the symposium. Two breakout sessions followed: “designing
the theater to SFU’s programmatic needs” and “the Black Box theater as a
cultural asset for the community.”
If fundraising efforts go well, the goal is to open the
theater in the autumn of 2021, to coincide with the 175th anniversary
of Saint Francis University. If you would like to move this project forward,
contact Robert Crusciel ’86, Vice President for Advancement at rcrusciel@francis.edu or 814-472-3021.