Management and Marketing Director of University Theatres Angela Torres said that although the interior of the new USI Teaching Theatre is essentially complete, there are still some minute details that construction crews are finishing up in the auditorium, which seats 294 people.
The Teaching Theatre also comes equipped with amenities like a catwalk, dressing rooms and a box office.
“In the dressing rooms there is a TV system, which is a closed circuit system that allows for the actors who are in the costume area to actually see the show,” Torres said.
The rooms also have a clearcom system that allows performers to hear the show and communicate show cues.
Underneath the stage is an open area the same size of the thrust portion of the stage where rehearsals can take place. On the stage there are panels that can be removed or lifted up to create a pit actors can come up from.
The theatre’s first play, “Picnic,” will premiere Feb. 25. Tickets are available at usi.edu/theatre.
 Photos by Amanda Brinkman, Bobby Shipman/The Shield