A Farewell to the Inscape Theatre
- greenspringreviewm
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Jacob Greene
Resting center stage, a light. Across the proscenium platform, a young woman sweeps, declaring the end of an era, dusting off a well-loved artifact of history. To follow, a sharply contrasting scene: music and celebration.
On Friday April 17, 2026, Stevenson University’s scholars flocked en-mass to the Inscape Theatre at the Greenspring Campus to marvel at the final performance the theatre would ever host. The new Sandra and Malcolm Berman Family Performing Arts Center will be the new hub for Stevenson’s theatrical spectacles, but the love students held for the old Inscape theatre will not be lost.
The celebratory event, titled Inscape: a Celebration, was a compilation of many of the key musicals performed throughout the theatre’s history. The event was well attended, and as I beheld the conclusions of each musical number, a raucous applause erupted through the small drama hall in the direction of the classic proscenium stage. Numbers included songs from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Cabaret, and Hair amongst many others.
Though a general celebration, one could not help but find the performance and the arrangement of the pieces topical. Attention was directed toward the hovering presence of fascism in America and calls for rebellious activity were sprinkled in subliminally- and not-so-subliminally- throughout. Even in celebration, the Stevenson University Theatre Program remains a force for progressive and unifying thought. The performance culminated in a call for collective happiness in dark times of hate.
After the event, scholars were able to sit down to a discussion with the two directors, Ryan Clark and Nic Mitchell. The brief question and answer covered subjects like direction, musical selection, and most importantly for a collection of ambitious college students: the future.
Clark expressed his hopes for the new stage, but he indicated that the memories made at the Inscape will not be forgotten. The Inscape theatre has been home to thirty years of performance, dating back to when the institution was still known as Villa Julie. Throughout the evening, Clark and Mithcell brought into the spotlight the people who built the Stevenson theatre department from the ground up, names like Sally Harris and Chris Roberts came up frequently.
Despite devoting a good deal of energy in the performance to historical recollections, the event remained lively, serious yet positive, an excellent combination of reflective and excited. The quality of the vocal performances should not go unmentioned. Performances by Kayla Johnson, Chris Roberts, Matt Seiler, and Seth Fallon were evident standouts. The talent of the Stevenson University student body continues to grow and evolve, much like the institution itself.
Inscape: A Celebration epitomizes the culture that Stevenson has been developing in the past decade. The University devotes itself equally to promoting and valuing its deep history as well as working to remain a beacon of cultural hope and progressivism that enriches its students through serious, well-crafted performance and scholarly engagement.
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