Since the 1970′s, Robinson Theater’s stage fly has pulled curtains, moved scenery and helped actors fly. Now over forty years old, the stage fly will need to be replaced before it becomes dangerous. Robinson Theater is one of two theaters the University of Oregon operates for performances. With recent renovations to Villard Hall, the department of theater arts is looking for additional funds to update the fly system in Robinson Theater. While the stage tool is fully functional, it is estimated that it’ll need to be replaced within the next 10 years at a cost of $300,000. A fly system is a system of ropes, pulleys and counterweights that is used to maneuver curtains and scenery pieces. Lights, props and even suspended actors may be attached to it depending on the performance. Robinson Theater was built in 1949, with the current fly system being installed in the 1970s. The department is currently undergoing negotiations with the school to receive funding for this project. With recent investments into the department with the addition of Hope Theater and improvements conducted on Robinson Theater in 2008, the University is reluctant to invest in another theater project so soon. “This is a very expensive capital improvement but it’s also a safety issue,” said Janet Rose, a senior instructor in the theater department and expert in lighting design and technical direction. “Most fly systems are what control the curtains and certain parts of the scenery. Essentially, without the fly system, the curtains wouldn’t open and close to do scene changes,” said Griffin Spencer, a theater major at the UO. The fly system was last inspected in 2008 and was estimated to have a total life span of 50 years, with it needing to be replaced with in the next decade. The school could potential opt for a fully automated system which purely motors at a cost of a $1 million, but would lose out on the educational uses and the aesthetics of a manual system. The fly system is visually inspected regularly by the theater staff and is not going to collapse anytime soon. The theater department would like to replace it before it gets to a point where it is a safety hazard and could potentially hurt people. The theater only conducts 2-3 performances a year, and only heavily uses the prop during those times. Even so, it still needs to be replaced. “If the system were to completely age out and we had to abandon the system, which I don’t think would happen for a while, it would seriously hamper our scenic abilities in production in the Robinson,” said Bradley Branam, Assistant professor for the Theater Department. The addition to a new stage fly is both an expensive and necessary investment for the school. The loss of such equipment would seriously hamper productions at the theater. “It’d be like telling the chemistry department that half their labs are closed,” Rose said.