The Dream Plant: Full Steam Ahead

The recent demolition process of Stokes, a former public school used by The Lipscomb Department of Theatre (LDoT), has led to an exciting development for the department.

Stokes, which served as a space for the set and prop shop for LDoT for over a decade, was decidedly closed by Metro Nashville Public Schools in the beginning of June 2024. This closure was long overdue, but LDoT did not know how to proceed without their resident shop.

At the end of June, the University notified the theatre department that they would move into the on-campus steam plant effective immediately. Thus began the plans for “The Steam Plant Dream Plant,” as Professor and Technical Director Hendrick Shelton calls it.

The steam plant was to be shut down within the next few years, but an amazing effort on the University’s part to speed up this process has turned it into a working space for all sorts of artistic design, building, and storage within the span of two short months.

The Lipscomb Department of Theatre also contributed greatly to the effort, which included a majority of theatre students and staff/faculty moving a great many of things over the course of days.

Now, the “Dream Plant” has served as a better and more suitable space for the theatre department as a whole. It has a much larger capacity and is right next to the theatre department, as opposed to the off-campus commute that Stokes required.

This shop also houses the LDoT’s set practicum classes, where students contribute to the construction of scenery for shows. This requires a great deal of work which includes Professor Andy Bleiler designing the sets and Professor Hendrick Shelton overseeing the process with the students.

You can read more about the demolition plans of Stokes here.