At the PUSD State of the District Address, Nov. 17, Student Board Representative Prisha Puntambekar presented plans for revamping and standardizing performing arts facilities across the district.

The renovations will vary depending on campus need and the functionality of their systems. Theaters contain many different pieces of technical equipment, ranging from microphones and speakers to projectors and complicated lights systems, all of which are susceptible to breaking or getting worn out.

While the plan is still in its blueprint stages, and small details have yet to be worked out, the objective is clear. 

“What [the district] wants to do is not just revamp our facilities, but revamp them in a way where we include long-lasting equipment, so we can invest once in a project that lasts a long time,” Prisha Puntambekar (12), PUSD Student Board Representative and student at Mt. Carmel, said.

In addition to fixing pre-existing issues, technology is going to be standardized across the district. Currently, the lighting and sound systems vary from school to school. With the implementation of a single standard, the district hopes to make maintenance and inter-school communication easier: students from one school would be able to operate the equipment at another, opening opportunities for them to work together.

“It will have a pretty phenomenal impact, especially in collaboration between schools,” Puntambekar said. “Right now, it’s hard for students to work with each other across schools if their systems are very different, but I think this could potentially open up avenues for new internship programs for those who are interested in the arts.”

In order to assess the improvements needed, Westview’s theater was recently evaluated by the district, but nothing has been finalized. 

While older schools may need more attention, there’s still plenty of work to be done at Westview. 

“Shop doors don’t function properly, the stage is uneven, many of the seats are broken in the audience, and our drapery is all old and damaged,” director Robert Townsend said. “It needs significant help.”

In addition to Westview Theatre Company, the theater tech and drama classes, band, choir, orchestra, and dance all use the same space. To accommodate this, Townsend suggested a completely separate rehearsal space. 

Because of the state of current theater facilities, Townsend said that he is thrilled at the beginning of an improved program for the students. 

“It has been proven time and time again that involvement in the arts exponentially increases the quality of a student’s education,” Townsend said. “These things are vital to our students’ development and growth. [Performing arts] is just like a sport; it teaches leadership, collaboration, communication, creativity, and all the things that we talk about as our main standards for what we teach in school.”