Ceres students have long performed in gyms and cafeterias. A real theater is coming
Student performers from all over Ceres will be able to use a 400-seat theater to be built at Central Valley High School.
The $7.5 million project will mean an end as of 2021 to using gyms, cafeterias and other makeshift venues, said Superintendent Scott Siegel of the Ceres Unified School District.
Its board approved this and several other projects funded by the last of the $60 million in bonds approved by district voters in 2008.
The 5,000-square-foot theater will be built in the “black box” style. Instead of fixed, terraced seating around an elevated stage, the stage will be at ground level and the seating portable to adapt to various groups.
“Musical performances, drama performances, lectures, choir performances — almost anything that you’d want to do you can do there,” said Gary Mallory of FF&J Architects in a news release. The Turlock-based firm is designing the theater.
The project also includes overhead stage lighting, a sound and lighting control room, and a “green room” for performers offstage.
Other projects in the last phase of bond spending total $7.5 million and include:
- A six-classroom expansion of Central Valley High.
- A new wing at Caswell Elementary School, as part of its conversion to a dual-language academy.
- Replacement of portable classrooms at Fowler Elementary School.
- Modernization of the small gym at Ceres High School.
The district also plans a swimming pool at Central Valley High, but completion could be years away, Siegel said. It will be funded by a state reimbursement of money the district fronted for other projects.
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This story was originally published August 2, 2018 at 1:59 PM.