The 500-seat Garland Auditorium is the center of the building .
25 YEARS OF THE ARTS
The Fine Arts Building Anniversary
Inside the Fine Arts Building there is a brick column . And sealed inside that column are 30 clay effigies created by students 25 years ago .
“ We marched one night into the construction which was pretty rough . There was still dirt and no roof yet . I remember because it rained and it was dripping wet ,” said Visual & Performing Arts teacher David Hanright . “ They came in in a line and they were chanting and playing drums . They all put their clay pieces in that column . There ’ s about 30 of those student clay pieces in that column and they got sealed in . They ’ re still in there .”
FROM THE ARTS
A Strong History of Supporting the Arts
In 1996 , Thornton Academy became one of the first high schools in Maine to open a center for the arts . The center was designed to bring the different arts together into a creative community , providing a home for dance , visual arts , music and theater , with classroom space alongside rehearsal and performance spaces .
After performing on a stage shared with the gym , a center dedicated to visual and performing arts was a real luxury .
“ We couldn ’ t use the gym until after basketball practice . Rehearsals didn ’ t start until evening every night . We couldn ’ t leave the set up , it had to fit in the corner . Lighting was basically on and off , and there was nowhere to build sets ,” said Hanright .
The new stage opened with the romping comedy “ You Can ’ t Take it With You ” in the fall of ’ 96 , a One Act production in the winter , and the first full-scale musical in spring of ’ 97 , “ Grease .”
Thanks to the Fine Arts building , TA students can take part in full-scale musical productions , like 2019 ’ s spring show “ Mamma Mia .”
Performing Arts teacher Catherine Murray joined TA the year the building was constructed and calls it “ home ” for many TA students , including her own two children . “ The space has allowed us to do performances on a much larger scale ,” she said . “ The music program has exploded since this space was created and the program runs deep .”
At the same time as the first theater productions were loading in , the TA chorus moved from what is now Thornton Hall to fill the auditorium with music , and student artists claimed space to publicly display their creations in the gallery .
“ The beautiful and spacious O ’ Neill Gallery was a new and essential need for the arts program ,” said Visual Arts teacher Jennifer Merry , who served on the team that designed the spaces . “ Every artist in the visual arts , from our foundations classes to AP , has pieces on display in this professional setting . Our students take great pride in seeing their work showcased for the entire school to view .”
12 Story by Joyce Doyle · Photos courtesy TA Archive and Arts Faculty