MONTAGE
The
Serving the St. Louis Community College - Meramec community since 1964 • ACP Award Recipient VOLUME 57, ISSUE 2
OCT. 7, 2021
WWW.MERAMECMONTAGE.COM
PHOTOS submitted by michelle rebello. Pictured above: The stage of the Meramec Campus Theatre is roped off following its collapse in April. Professor Michelle Rebello said that the collapse happened during a time no one was working, and no one was hurt. Currently, the theater itself is inaccessible to students and staff, but the theater lobby remains accessible.
All the World’s a (Makeshift) Stage Previewing an unusual restart to Meramec’s theater productions Jacob Politte MANAGING EDITOR
D
uring the pandemic, the stage at the Meramec theater gave way. The stage that once hosted George H.W. Bush during his run for the presidency and hosts countless other events and productions for the Meramec Theatre Department every year; collapsed this past April. Until the stage is repaired shows will be held in different locations and even streamed live on YouTube. Jean “Michelle” Rebello has been a director and teacher at Meramec since 1996 and has directed more than 50 productions at Meramec during that time, receiving the Faculty Lecture Award in 2017 for her efforts. She was also the first one to discover that the stage had partly collapsed on April 26. When asked what might have led
to the collapse, Rebello said that the college doesn’t know for certain. However, they have their suspicions. “[The college suspects] that during that time we had a bad period of rain and the pit took on too much water and triggered the electric cables under the stage to lift,” Rebello said. “The center one lifted so high it came off of the spooling of the cable and collapsed between the two other lifts.” Rebello says that a specific timeline for the stage to be fully repaired is uncertain. “We are looking at a timetable that is uncertain due to COVID and supply shortages in workforce and supplies,” Rebello said. “We hope we can be back in the space next fall.” Despite the difficulty of not having the stage that they are accustomed to, Rebello and the theater department are forging ahead with productions throughout the coming year. This
week, Professor Keith Oliver’s play “A Proposal for Marriage” premieres online. The play, which is Oliver’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Proposal,” premiered at 7:30 p.m. last night on the STLCC Visual & Performing Arts YouTube Page, and will continue to premiere daily on the page through Oct. 10. On Nov. 19, Rebello’s production of “All In The Timing” premieres in front of a live audience in Room 102 of the Humanities West building at 7:30pm, and runs through Nov. 21; the last show premieres at 2:00pm. “In November, we are finally producing work for a live audience over in the Music Room in Humanities West,” she said. “They were kind enough in the Music area to be able to share the space [for the production].” Rebello said she wasn’t sure of the specific capacity for the room, but said she thinks it is around 50 spectators.
She also previewed two shows coming this spring. “We will be producing a small musical entitled ‘The Trail to Oregon!’ which is modeled after the famous early computer game ‘Oregon Trail’,” she said. “Our fourth show will be a showcase of Student Director’s work.” While these shows are scheduled for the spring; specific dates and locations for them have yet to be determined. Admission to all Meramec Theatre productions is free.
What Will STLCC Do With $30 Million a Year?
Chancellor Jeff Pittman explains the need for STLCC upgrades with Prop R Funds GENEVA LEE STAFF
St. Louis residents voted to pass Proposition R, which will increase funding for St. Louis Community College from $160 million a year to about $190 million “Prop R” was passed on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, by a 58% to 42% margin, according to the Board of Elections. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
reported that about 54% of county voters voted “yes,” compared to 73% of city voters. An off-year special election, only about 8% of eligible voters cast ballots, and taxpayers will now pay $0.08 more (a total of $0.2787) for every $100 of assessed property value. This new funding brings STLCC in line with other Missourian community colleges. St. Louis Community College district’s tax had not increased in almost 40 years and was lowest of the 12 Missourian community college
tax districts. With Prop R, it will be the fifth-lowest tax rate in the state, according to the Post-Dispatch. The college intends to use the funding to update job training programs, renovate buildings, upgrade technology, and improve safety and security on campus, according to Chancellor Jeff Pittman. These are the overarching aims for the new funds from Proposition R. How they will be specifically allocated toward improving facilities
and offerings, however, has yet to be determined. Pittman said that “the board is responsible for the fiduciary oversight of the college ultimately,” but it will rely upon input from the community. The chancellor said that the school is putting together campus committees composed of faculty and staff, and each campus will have a committee chair and consult each campus’ president
Continued on p. 3