By Sophia Chen ‘20 and Asha Varma ‘20, Arts and Entertainment Editors

Although the new school year is in full swing, we as a community are still adjusting to some pretty big changes at Newark Academy. One of the most impactful of these changes is the reconstruction of the Rose Auditorium. In the spring of 2019, students and faculty said goodbye to the beloved Rose Auditorium after fifty-five years. Following Eighth Grade Class Night on May 29th, the doors of the Rose Auditorium closed for the final time so that it could be reconstructed and reintroduced to the NA community as the Coraci Performance Hall in the 2020-2021 school year.

The Coraci Performance Hall will have two hundred more seats than the Rose Auditorium, a larger video screen, and state-of-the-art features such as improved acoustics, lighting, and a two-floor production booth. We know the auditorium as a place where arts performances, such as choral, instrumental, dance, and drama productions, are held yearly. As a result of the construction, these performances, such as this year’s fall drama, Radium Girls, will be held at outside venues. Although the construction will affect the location of morning meeting and our arts performances, our sense of community has not changed. 

The Rose Auditorium resonated with all members of the NA community primarily because it served as a place of gathering among all members of our school. The auditorium played a large part in daily life; it was the location of both upper school and all school morning meetings, club presentations, new student orientations, information nights, and more. Not only was it a vital part of our school history, being one of the oldest rooms in the school, but it was also the heart of Newark Academy; it allowed us to come together in a shared gathering space. When we asked students their opinions about the integral role that the auditorium plays in the functionality of NA, many had similar thoughts. Dafne Hernandez ‘20 described the auditorium as a place where “all different ideas and perspectives meet,” associating it with unity and familiarity. The Rose Auditorium represents the spread of new ideas by being the location of our Global Speaker Series and a variety of club presentations. Moreover, the Rose Auditorium was the place where we marked milestones in the NA community, beginning each school year with Convocation, paying tribute to the graduating class at the Senior Celebration, as well as closing out each school year with upbeat musical performances. 

Though the absence of an auditorium throughout this academic year does change the dynamic of everyday life at school, it is our hope that all members of the NA community will foster the same positivity in the temporary gathering spots that they had in the Rose Auditorium.