As the lights dimmed at the Longstreet Theatre for the first time since November 2024 on Friday night, audience members gathered to witness the latest USC Theatre production, "Mauritius."
The Longstreet Theatre is the only theatre-in-the-round in the state of South Carolina, Kevin Bush, marketing and communications director for the USC Department of Theatre and Dance, said. A theatre-in-the-round includes a centrally located stage with audience seating placed around the full circumference of the stage.
The refurbishment of the Longstreet Theatre seating began in November 2024, nearly five decades of wear on the previous seating and flooring, Bush said.
Prior to the renovations, the theatre featured a thrust stage, meaning audiences were seated on only three sides of the stage while one side was used for the backdrops of the centralized stage.
Bush said providing the students with the experience of working in the unique theatre style was the motivation behind making the switch from a thrust stage to a theatre-in-the-round.
Third-year theatre student Olivia Davis, who performed the role of Jackie in "Mauritius," said performing in a round theatre creates a different sense of spatial awareness between the actors.
“It takes it from regular chess, where you’re being aware of where you are in the space in relation to one plane of people,” she said. “Now you’re playing 3D chess. Now everywhere you look is part of the story.”
With the latest renovations, including removing the old seats and carpet, the stage is now viewable from anywhere in the theater.
Bush said the Theatre Department is very grateful for the renovations at Longstreet.
“Having those original seats replaced finally really feels like a commitment by the university, once again, to letting this building have a prominent use on campus,” Bush said.
The new seats are styled the same as the seats at Koger Center for the Arts, Bush said.
Bush said having a theatre-in-the-round provides student with a unique experience they can't get everywhere.
"From a teaching perspective, giving our students, and honestly giving all students, the opportunity to see or be seen in this kind of environment is special," Bush said.
Davis said it is incredible to experience the joy in Longstreet Theatre.
“Every seat gets an individual experience,” Davis said. “It’s such a unique experience that if you come to see it multiple times, you will see something different every time no matter where you sit because your experience will depend on your relationship to the set.”
Mack Gomes said the renovations will help audiences feel more immersed in the show.
“It can make the direction so engaging and invigorating," Gomes said. "It really helps you connect more with the actors because no matter where you’re sitting in the house, there’s no bad seat. So anywhere you’re looking gives a new perspective to the show.”
Elizabeth Wheless, a second-year Master of Fine Arts graduate student who performed the role of Mary in "Mauritius," said "Mauritius" gave both actors and audiences a feeling of connection.
“A part of our curtain call is that we applaud the audience because we want them to know, 'Thank you for being here and for seeing us in a vulnerable state, both in our acting and in our staging,'” Wheless said. "It is vulnerable to have every angle of you being seen and to feel so close to the audience on all sides. It’s almost stifling in a way, but it's also super freeing.”