Theater students continue to raise money through donations and ticket sales in a continuing effort to renovate the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theater, which they say is in need of numerous repairs and updates.

Sarah Blackstone, Theater Department chairwoman, said $100,000 is needed for complete renovation but repairs will be made as the money comes in. So far, $30,000 has been raised by various methods over the past two years, including tele-funding, where patrons were asked to purchase a chair with a nameplate listing the benefactor for $200.

On Sunday, a play put on by John A. Logan College students, OLEANNA, raised about $300 for the project.

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The money raised will be used to update sound and lighting equipment and replace the floors, chairs in the theater and the carpet in the lobby.

The daily wear and tear in the theater over the past 30 years has lead to less-than-savory conditions.

Aaron Hanna, a senior in theater form Herrin, said all the equipment used in the lab is original, the floor is unsafe, and the sound equipment is a home stereo. New seating also is needed in the theater.

There are holes in the stage, splinters sticking out, and you can feel it sag when you walk on it, Hanna said.

Students this year have added a new approach to the fund raising by scheduling performances in the theater with the proceeds being donated to the effort. So far one performance has been done this year by theater students from John A. Logan College to support the effort. SIUC students have scheduled their first show for the spring semester.

Blackstone said chairs will be added first to show that progress is being made in the fund-raising effort.

It’s been a slow process, but we have raised enough to get new chairs, Blackstone said. We are trying to build interest and keep it in front of people. This work is necessary and really needs to be done.

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Kitty Mortland, a senior in theater from Northbrook, also has concerns about the level of education students are receiving on such outdated equipment.

Our technicians aren’t trained on proper equipment, so when they get the opportunity to operate on updated equipment they’re lost, Mortland said. Our sound people won’t even know how to operate a sound board.