Update on on the renovation of Columbia College Chicago‘s historic Emma and Oscar Getz Theatre, the mainstage auditorium at the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department, and on other parts of the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Center: This photo, looking north, is a panorama of the Getz Theatre and its adjacent shop space in what used to be the Classic Studio. The workers in the picture are starting layout in preparation for installation of a balcony and catwalk in the theatre.

Click here for a VIDEO TOUR of the ongoing work in the Getz and adjacent first-floor space as well as the reconfiguration of sixth-floor classrooms, which will be turned into a makeup classroom and lighting lab facilities. The sixth-floor space will be ready in time for the start of classes September 5; the construction of a new, reconfigured auditorium has a projected completion date of January 2018.

As reported previously in this blog, the Getz Theatre is slated for a makeover as part of the college’s efforts to update campus spaces. Above is an artist’s rendering of what the theatre will look like when it reopens next year. Please follow this blog for news of the progress of this exciting development over the summer! To follow us on Facebook, click here.