The Rock Valley College Studio Theatre was an indoor community theater located on the Rock Valley College campus in Rockford, Illinois; its operational status has been put on hold indefinitely, a casualty of the Illinois Budget crisis (see: Bruce Rauner#Governor of Illinois). It is often conflated with the Rock Valley College Starlight Theatre, which operates in the nearby Bengt Sjostrom Theatre, an award-winning outdoor complex known as Starlight Theatre by local residents. Confusion exists as both theatres are operated by the RVC Theatre Department and stand in close proximity to one another.
Theatre History
The 172-seat, three-quarter thrust theatre is housed in a converted barn, along with the RVC Theatre Department offices and costume storage facilities. The building and its accompanying 217 acres were purchased by the college in 1965 from Dr. J.J. Rogers. The structure has undergone several renovations and served multiple purposes since its initial purchase, at certain times housing the college cafeteria, library and admissions offices. As the campus grew, new buildings were assigned to serve these purposes. By 1985, an unnamed student theatre group had taken up residence in the building. This group would eventually be folded into the existing RVC Theatre Department. Plans to move from "the barn" to a new Arts Instructional Center with modern amenities has been tabled by the college's board of Trustees.
Production history
According to local newspaper records, more than 130 productions have taken place in Studio Theatre. 1985: Ah! Wilderness 1985: Christmas with the Conroys 1986: Ladyhouse Blues 1986: Wings 1986: End of the World 1986: Christmas with the Conroys 1987: Same Time Next Year 1987: Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda 1987: Prometheus Bound 1987: Hoosier Lore 1988: Two Gentlemen of Verona 1988: Dr. Franken's Consuming Obsession 1988: Death of a 2nd Husband 1988: Christmas with the Conroys 1989: The Tempest 1989: Smile of the Buddha 1989: Your Plays or Mine 1989: Christmas at Wits End 1990: Measure for Measure 1990: Danger:Memory 1990: King Lear 1990: Godspell 1991: Midsummer Nights Dream 1991: Verdict 1991: Richard III 1991: Fantasticks 1992: Wild Oats 1992: Runner Stumbles 1992: Macbeth 1992: Cotton Patch Gospel 1993: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead 1993: Ten Little Indians 1993: Henry IV I 1993: She Loves Me 1994: Lend Me a Tenor 1994: Witness for the Prosecution 1994: Romeo & Juliet 1994: American Rock 1995: Kites Book 1995: The Hollow 1995: Hamlet 1995: 1940's Radio Hour 1996: Bad Manners 1996: Black Coffee 1996: Winter's Tale 1996: They're Playing Our Song 1997: Star Rover 1997: Towards Zero 1997: Much Ado About Nothing 1997: Nunsense 1998: Three Women Embracing 1998: Spider's Web 1998: Twelfth Night 1998: Dames at Sea 1999: Royal Hunt of the Sun 1999: The Mousetrap 1999: Julius Caesar 1999: Company 2000: Confused in Blimey 2000: Unexpected Guest 2000: As You Like It 2000: King Henry V 2000: Midsummer Nights Dream 2000: Titus Andronicus 2000: Nunsense 2001: The Lake 2001: Murder at the Vicarage 2001: Comedy of Errors 2001: Macbeth 2001: Richard II 2001: The Christmas Schooner 2002: Crossing Bridges 2002: Murder on the Nile 2002: Henry IV, Part II 2002: Taming of the Shrew 2002: Troilus & Cressida 2002: Cabaret 2003: Emily's Shadow 2003: Cards on the Table 2003: Othello 2003: Loves Labours Lost 2003: Into the Woods 2004: Pearl's Jam 2004: Alibi 2004: Merchant of Venice 2004: Timon of Athens 2004: Queen Margaret 2004: Victor/Victoria 2005: Scapino! 2005: Love From a Stranger 2005: Romeo & Juliet (also performed at the Bengt Sjostrom Theatre) 2005: The Christmas Schooner 2006: The Mayor of West Belvidere 2006: Appointment with Death 2006: Antony & Cleopatra 2006: All's Well that Ends Well 2006: Lent 2007: You Can't Take it With You 2007: A Murder is Announced 2007: Merry Wives of Windsor 2007: Pericles 2007: Faculty Lounge 2008: Last Easter 2008: A Daughter's A Daughter 2008: King John 2008: Cymbeline 2008: Caroline or Change 2009: American Buffalo 2009: Peril at End House 2009: Hamlet 2009: Coriolanus 2009: Christmas with the Conroys 2010: Cotton Patch Gospel 2010: And Then There Were None 2010: The Tempest 2010: King Henry VIII 2010: Hoosier Lore 2011: Grey Gardens 2011: Go Back for Murder 2011: King Lear 2011: A Christmas Carol 2012: Rocky Horror Show 2012: Murder is Easy 2012: A Midsummer Night's Dream 2012: Rocky Horror Show (Reprise) 2013: Avenue Q 2013: Fiddler's Three 2013: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2013: The Wizard of Oz