Fox Theatre is here to stay- for now.
After an announcement on Sept. 26 that the L. Howard Fox Studio Theatre would be replaced with the upcoming Dreamscape Learn Virtual Reality (VR) lab in January 2025, Montclair State University’s Theatre and Dance department learned from the Office of the President that Fox Theatre will be open through the spring 2025 semester.
Kathleen Kelley, the chairperson for the theatre and dance department, expressed the department’s excitement for next semester.
“We will be utilizing it for building some scenery, putting some classes in there and then also holding some of our student-produced performances there,” she said. “Unfortunately, it was too late to move our main stage performance back into the Fox because it had already been designed.”
Students learned about the extension through their professors and word-of-mouth. Abigail Drueding, a freshman design technology management major, emphasized the meaning of this decision.
“I’m really glad because the destruction of Fox would have really messed up stuff for the design tech management majors,” Drueding said. “It’s a great place to build skills that [in] other places you might not be able to get.”
Mandi Dellagicoma, also a sophomore design technology management major, highlighted her enthusiasm regarding the decision as a large member of the Save The Fox campaign. However, she mentioned that the fight is not over.
“We are long from giving this up,” Dellagicoma said. “So next semester, we’re going to continue to fight for this and push for it and [this gives us] more time to be able to show why this really matters to us and [our] work here.”
Fox Theatre’s spring semester renewal has renewed the spirits of the Theatre and Dance Department, all hopeful and eager to welcome new Red Hawks into the program and engage in the experience of it.
“Even though we have it just for next semester, that doesn’t mean it’s over,” Dellagicoma said.
