Media Release

Town & Gown joins hands with Oklahoma State University’s Department of Design, Housing and Merchandising (DHM) to showcase the projects of 24 interior design students.

All 24 of them are third year students enrolled in DHM 3453, Environmental Design Studio, instructed by Dr. Paulette Hebert, Professor.

The project was to redesign the interiors of Town & Gown. The students will attend a performance of Town & Gown’s latest play, The Savannah Sipping Society, and present their projects to patrons of Town & Gown prior to the show, during intermission and after the show in the theater’s gallery.

Students have been divided into two groups for the exhibition, with half presenting their projects on any one of the first two nights of the play – either Thursday, April 12, or Friday, April 13. The students’ work will remain in the gallery for the run of the show.

According to Dr. Hebert, the intent of this ‘Service Learning Project’ is to enhance Town & Gown Theater and the students’ design education by working in a mutually beneficial partnership. Through this interior design renovation project, the students endeavored to meet Town & Gown Theater’s goals to enhance and enliven their existing facility, in order to retain and accommodate current theater patrons and volunteers. They also want to attract new patrons and volunteers. They want to honor previous actors by providing electronic displays of photographs and a database of previous performances. All applicable codes, laws and best practices should be followed in the project. 

The students have, variously, re-imagined Town & Gown’s lobby, gallery, box office, back-of-house hallway and dressing rooms, addressing energy-saving lighting, ceiling materials and layout, furniture, furnishings and finishes.

The 24 participating students are Alexa Bagnell, Brittany Burnam, Courtney Coston, Kassandra Dodson, Andre Ferreira, Karsten Fleak, Linsey Fields, Rachael Grau, Tori Hilger, Kelsey Hisaw, Frances Ibanez, Jennifer Jones, Taylor Jones, Lacy Lamle, Taylor Lukasek, Abigail McDougal, Regan Ortiz, Ngan Pham, Kathryn Rollings, Ericka Roomsburg, Lauren Shugart, Devon Smith, Blakelee Stowers, Brianna Tullous.