David Godkin’s introduction to Royall Tyler Theatre came in 1974 – the year the renovated former gymnasium opened – when the first-year class of ’77 alum appeared in a production of T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral.
“It was a beautifully renovated building,” he said. “It had really nice theater space, and the backstage areas were terrific.”
When an impromptu performance celebrating the lives of two recently deceased faculty brought Godkin back to Royall Tyler in 2009 -- the first time he had been inside the theater since graduating -- “the spirit of the place was exactly as I remembered,” he said, “except it was getting worn. It was a little bit shabby.”
A $215,000 fundraising campaign, launched in October, aims to restore Royall Tyler to its former glory. The funds raised will be used to replace all the seats in the theater, a number of which are in disrepair, with moveable, state-of-the art new ones, install new carpeting and paint interior walls.
Launch pad
The idea of refurbishing Royall Tyler had been a goal of the Department of Theatre for many years, but the necessary funding proved elusive until Ed Tracy, class of ’76, with support from Keith Gaylord,'76, and Jonathan Bourne, ’77, came up with a good idea: holding a 40th anniversary celebration of Royall Tyler’s opening during UVM’s 2014 Homecoming and Family Weekend in mid-October.
Godkin, a psychology major who had played lead roles in student productions ranging from West Side Story to Candide and “hung out at the theater a lot,” joined a committee of alumni that reached out widely to encourage UVM graduates with a connection to Royall Tyler to attend.
The Theatre Department poured time and energy into the event itself, scheduling a full day of activities on Saturday. Interim chair Jeff Modereger scored the weekend’s major “get”: award-winning playwright Tony Kushner, who agreed to be interviewed by a Theatre Department faculty member on the Royall Tyler stage.
The department also hatched the idea of using the weekend as a launch pad for the long-needed fundraising campaign. (Kushner made an on-the-spot donation from the stage when he learned of it.)
At a special luncheon in Billings North Lounge honoring Royall Tyler’s anniversary, UVM president Tom Sullivan unveiled the campaign -- and made a surprise announcement. Impressed by the passion and hard work of both the alums and Theatre Department faculty and staff, the president said his office, in conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences, would contribute $90,000 to the campaign and challenged alumni to contribute the remainder.
The UVM Foundation gave the campaign shape, encouraging alumni, members of the UVM community and patrons and friends of the theater to purchase a new seat for $500, or a section of seats for a larger sum, which would bear a plaque with the donor’s name. (Earlier named chairs will have new plaques transferred to the new chairs.)
Godkin, a respected trial attorney and founding partner at a Boston law firm, had fallen out of touch with his fellow 70s-era alums but re-bonded with them at the 2009 memorial, which celebrated, over several antic summer days, the lives of two beloved faculty and department chairs who had both died the previous year, Bill Schenk and Ed Feidner.
After the campaign announcement, Godkin took a lead role in galvanizing the group, as well as several alums from the early 1980s, urging them to make a collective donation of $30,000 to name the center section of chairs for classes of the 1970s and 80s.
Magical space
According to Gregory Ramos, chair of UVM’s Theatre Department, Royall Tyler is a gem well worth maintaining.
“It’s really kind of a magical space,” he said. “We can produce small, very intimate pieces here. And we can also do big musicals like Godspell or Cabaret.”
To remain competitive in the world of Netflix and surround-sound movie theaters, Ramos said, Royall Tyler needs to deliver a first-rate audience experience.
"It's very important that people come here and have a great theatrical experience,” which includes not only a compelling performance “but very practical things like comfortable seats and clean carpets,” he said.
The theater is “a very special place to me and all the people who came through because it was such an important part of our formative years,” Godkin said. “I really hope that we can spruce it up and keep going for another 40 years.”
The renovation will begin at the end of the spring semester and be completed in time for performances during the summer by the Vermont Shakespeare Company as part of its partnership with the Department of Theatre.
The fundraising campaign is nearing its conclusion, but the UVM Foundation will accept gifts into the new year. Make a donation here on the Foundation's website.
