When the cast of 12 Angry Jurors bowed after their last show on February 17, they did so for the last time in the Black Box theatre. With the construction of the new theatre, the Black Box theatre will no longer belong to the theatre department and the school will repurpose it for another use.

“I am excited for the new memories we will make in the new theatre and Black Box because while we made our memories in our old space, the people who made those memories special will be performing alongside me on our new stage. It’s exciting to see what we will be able to do next,” vice president of Drama Club and junior Hope Kutsche said.

The Black Box theatre started the drama experience for many students, bringing them together to create the family they belong to now. This theatre created a home for Drama Club and all its participants.

“The Black Box is like home. It’s where I go every day after school, where I know I won’t be judged—Where I know I can be who I am. I’ve made some of my favorite memories in the dressing rooms before shows chatting with my cast mates and preparing for performances. I will miss this space so, so much, but I am excited for the new memories we will make in the new theatre and Black Box,” Kutsche said.

Drama teacher Candice Corcoran will miss the Black Box theatre mainly because she starting teaching many of her talented students in that theatre. She has directed over twenty-five shows since her arrival in 2005 in the Black Box, not including the class productions she puts on for students to see during the school day.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, performed twice at NC so far, remains Corcoran’s favorite show she has directed in the Black Box. As the first musical put on in the Black Box, students loved performing such a music and dance heavy show.

“Oh my gosh, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was definitely my favorite because it was the first musical we put on in the Black Box. I think I loved it so much because so many of the kids that were in the show had been a part of theatre for all four years of high school, or were going to participate for all four years,” Corcoran said.

Corcoran cannot wait to start performing shows in the new theatre and utilize the new space. With new dressing rooms, bathrooms, construction rooms, and tech halls, Corcoran and the students excitedly anticipate rehearsals in the new theatre.

“We can teach real hardcore tech in the main theatre, whereas in the Black Box you’re teaching it on a smaller scale. We also don’t need to deal with sharing a back hall with the lacrosse players who bang on the door during performances,” Corcoran said.

Currently, theatre students are rehearsing for Hairspray in the Black Box theatre and will move to the new theatre on March 15. Students will kiss the Black Box theatre goodbye, but they will keep the memories forever.

“The Black Box is a safe haven for all the theatre students. We are always in there during rehearsals or during class, it has always been a place to just pretend to be someone else and forget about everything. We are a family, and even though we are not going to be in the Black Box, we will still be united in the new theatre. It’s not the place that makes it special, it’s the people,” junior Cindy Bishop said.