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Laurie Charles
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Entertainment 
Lehman Theatre Gets Facelift
By
Laurie Charles
laurie.charles002@mymdc.net
The Lehman Theatre will be closed for renovation come the first week of September.
The theater is not only a North Campus landmark, but also a playhouse for the arts: plays, dance performances and operas.
The area was once a parachute lot for the Opa-Locka Naval Air Station. But in 1968 it became the Lehman Theatre. Ever since it opened its doors, the theater has maintained its reputation for top of the line productions.
It was named after William Lehman and his wife of 66 years, Joan Lehman; William Lehman was a Florida State
Representative, as well as chairman of the Dade County school board, and a well-known used-car salesman. He was an advocate for social justice, fought for the end of racial segregation, and made major contributions to the Dade County public transit system.
The renovations are the first to the theater since 1984.
“The theater will be completely renovated with a new stage, curtains, seating, flooring, sound and video system, acoustical treatment, house lighting, doors, etc.,” said Cristina Mateo, dean of administration at the North Campus.
The renovation will also consist of a reconstruction of the theater, lobby, Black Box Theater, dressing rooms, stage, storage area, control booth, Studio Theater, 3-D studio, and capacity to have theater overflow.
“At the present time, the green room and black box theater are housed out of one room, which creates a daily scheduling complex when the theater and the black box theater need to be used at the same time,” Mateo said.
With the transformation, the black box theater will relocate to another location within the Pawley Arts Complex (building 5) and the 3-D studio will be housed in a space on the first floor.
“The renovation of the theater will provide the College and its students with a renovated space to support the academic programs in the arts, conduct lectures and conferences and present cultural activities, among others,” Mateo said.
Bryant Del Toro a theater major agreed.
“Having a renovated theater will bring forth a larger audience and will hopefully raise awareness and promote the various talents of the arts department,” Del Toro said.
The expected completion date of the Lehman Theatre is April 2010.