ABOUT THE PRESERVATION PROJECT

During the Spring 2023 semester, students at the USC School of Dramatic Arts were informed about the planned demolition of the Drama Center (DRC) scheduled for early 2024. This announcement raised immediate concerns about preserving the Massman Theatre and its beloved dressing room, where students have created and documented artworks of their productions from 2008 through 2024. In response, members of the Theatre Students Association aimed to achieve two goals before the destruction of the Massman Theatre:

1. Create an event to bid farewell to their cherished home.
2. Preserve the space as a legacy of past student productions.

After months of deliberation on ways to preserve the space, our team concluded that digital preservation was the best approach. Drawing from the knowledge and skills gained at the USC School of Dramatic Arts to achieve this. The first version involved utilizing the LiDAR camera on iOS devices to capture the dressing room. The second version employed an omnidirectional (360-degree) camera to capture the theater, while also taking individual photos of each artwork. The final version used Unreal Engine 5 to provide a glimpse of what a production would look like within the theater.

NOTICE: All photos were taken before February 2, 2024 during "Last Night at the Massman" event. Unfortunately, some artworks could not be clearly preserved due to obstruction or deterioration.