By Ashlyn Swaggerty, Photographer
There’s a new addition to the Hardin Valley campus! Pellissippi State Community College’s Theatre Department has a new set-building office known as “The Hardin Valley House”, and it’s located by the EV charging station across the street from the Clayton Performing Arts Center.
Formerly a house next campus, the theatre department renovated the building and turned it into a new place to build sets for, not only Pellissippi State productions, but also for theatre companies throughout the community.
After six months of renovations and a cost of around one million dollars, the house now has air conditioning and electrical all throughout the space, allowing students to create safely and comfortably. The Hardin Valley House is also equipped with a CNC machine, welding equipment, and an array of countless building materials like paint, wood, tools, etc. Having tools like these on campus gives students more opportunities to branch out and discover new skills that they may have never thought to try before.
Professor Claude Hardy assists students with set creation and teaches them how to use the tools and equipment in the proper way, allowing them to have creative freedom while keeping them on the right track. He also uses previous education and experience in welding that he applies to set building and then passes down to students.
The Hardin Valley House isn’t just a place to build sets, but also a place to create costumes. Located in what used to be a household garage, the costume shop is now home to dozens of costumes, accessories, and props, along with multiple sewing machines so students can create pieces for shows themselves.
The Hardin Valley House set-building workshop is a great addition to Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Campus not only because it gives students more access to equipment for building sets and creating costumes effectively, but because it also provides a safe space to learn new skills and grow interests. With a new space entirely for backstage work and production, Pellissippi State’s Theatre Department is now hard at work for their upcoming fall show, Bus Stop, this November!
