6,000 pounds of set pieces and a theater class stood on the hydraulic pit that is supported by columns that have stood for 60 years.
The pit started to shake. The sound of metal crunching on metal filled the auditorium.
“I was on the pit when it started to rumble,” Byrd said. “There was an obliterating feeling going through my chest. I didn’t know how the theater magnet was going to survive without the pit.”
The hydraulic pit that had moved set pieces, housed the orchestra, and added dimension to productions since the 1950s years had broken.
“The guide tracks are just worn to their life expectancy,” project manager Ricky Mounger said.
The theater magnet will not have to face that problem now. The pit will undergo repairs starting June 3 and will most likely be completed by August 15.
The new pit’s life expectancy will be about 50 years. The entire pit, lift and platform, will be replaced. The project will cost approximately $400,000 which will come out of the new bond package which was approved for “improvements.”
“I was a little surprised when RISD chose to fix the pit,” theater teacher Jessica Carey said. “But RISD has such a commitment to its fine arts program that they ultimately decided to. I’m glad the future students will be able to enjoy the traditions of the last 60 years.”
Even in the face of budget cuts, Principal Charles Pickitt deemed this project necessary.
“The pit does multiple things for us,” Pickitt said. “It allows the theater magnet to bring up scenes from lower levels during plays, the choir uses it during concerts, the band uses it, the orchestra plays there during shows. Even the drill team uses it for their end of the year show. This year these organizations couldn’t do those things. Next year they will.”
If the pit was not refurbished, many programs would have to change rework their performances.
“We would have had to completely rethink how we do musicals,” Carey said. “We have a live orchestra that we put in the pit and without the pit we would have to consider no live orchestra which would impact our effectiveness.”
Carey is glad that the construction will begin after school is over.
“I have my theater classes in the auditorium and we would have been homeless,” Carey said.
Until the pit is repaired, theater students have had to move set pieces manually into the dungeon below the stage.
“I’ve probably put on 30 pounds of muscle,” Byrd said.
The construction will affect the annual theater summer camp. The camp of about 100 students will now have to perform in the Eagles Nest.
Despite concessions made, students are thrilled to have their pit restored.
“It means a lot to so many people at the school to have the pit fixed,” sophomore Jessica Mitchell, founder of Facebook group“Save the Pit” said. “Now all RHS productions have the opportunity to be extremely amazing.”
