KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 11, 2020

KSU Dance Theater gets a much-needed upgrade for patron experience

Patrons of the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Dance Theater on the Marietta Campus will experience a new and improved process for ticketing: an official box office for the theater. A long-awaited upgrade for the College of the Arts (COTA) and the Department of Dance (Dance), the new box office will provide a more streamlined and professional process for ticket purchasing and patron services.

Photo, above, left to right: Lindsay Walker, Patron Service Manager; Anna Reichard, Student Assistant; Christy Neal, Patron Services Assistant; and Michael Mathieson, Student Assistant.  

The 450-seat proscenium KSU Dance Theater is the only venue in Atlanta built specifically for dance and boasts state-of-the-art lighting and sound along with a permanently installed sprung Marley dance floor. It hosts the KSU Dance Company and guest performers and is also available as a rental space for local dance companies and choreographers. It even boasts a supporting event and reception space; the one thing missing was a formal box office.

Previously, according to Patron Services Manager Lindsay Walker, the KSU Dance Theater “had a tiny little closet just outside the production booth where we stored all of our scanning and box office equipment, and where ushers would store their belongings during their shift. During performances we would have a folding table in the student center lobby, and we would have to cart all of our equipment out and set it up before every performance.”

Naturally, this created issues with patron services, as Walker explains: “We would often have issues with our technology because we were having to reinstall equipment before every single performance. The patron experience was greatly impacted when our equipment wasn’t working, and we could not provide a smooth and efficient experience.”

Last summer, COTA initiated plans to make this vital upgrade to their second largest venue. Senior Associate Dean of COTA, Harrison Long, began overseeing the acquisition of the space—formerly an Owl Radio sound booth—and helped in orchestrating construction of the new box office during the Fall semester. With the assistance of representatives from the Facilities Renovation & Repair Service division, Director Tim Carver and Campus Planner Richard Pugh, Walker oversaw the completion of the project, just in time for the Spring semester. “Now,” explains Walker, “the Patron Services staff have a professional environment to work in and will be able to provide a streamlined and professional experience to our patrons on both of our campuses.”

“The addition of a full-service box office adjacent to the KSU Dance Theater is a real game changer,” says Associate Dean Long. “This new facility will allow our Patron Services division to provide the same level of professional service to our students and patrons in Marietta that they are accustomed to on the Kennesaw campus. As the premiere venue for dance in metropolitan Atlanta, serving the largest collegiate dance program in the state, our KSU Dance Theater deserves a box office facility of this quality.”

The KSU Dance Theater opened the new box office to patrons with performances of “Moon Dust,” a contemporary dance production by award-winning choreographers COTA Dean Ivan Pulinkala and Dance Interim Artistic Director Lisa Lock. Visit arts.kennesaw.edu/dance for more events at the KSU Dance Theater this spring.