If all the world is a stage, GW is merely a speck simply because the University lacks the conviction to provide its performers with adequate space to practice and perfect their craft.

GW has four theaters – if some of the facilities even deserve the term. Mitchell Hall houses a dingy, cramped theater in its basement. The seats are uncomfortable and limited, the acoustics are poor and the lighting is dismal.

Another venue, Downstage Lisner, has a catchy title but few seats for the audience. The main Lisner Auditorium, an occasional home to CNN’s Crossfire and nationally known comedians, is a renowned performance space. But seldom it is open for student use. More often, students are denied access to the GW’s main stage in favor of outside entertainers putting on shows that are of little interest to students. Instead, groups are directed to the bowels of Lisner where they persevere in a space that seats fewer than 40 people and can accommodate only the barest sets and props.

Of course, student groups can use facilities at the Mount Vernon campus. But that suggestion is hardly realistic. Audiences are reluctant to make the trip. Students who are ordinarily inclined to spend their evening watching a student-produced show at Foggy Bottom seldom go out of their way to attend a performance at MVC. Whether that reality is right or wrong is of little importance; the fact remains that MVC is not a viable option for attracting a significant audience.

That leaves the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater in the Marvin Center, the best location for student groups to stage events. The theater is undergoing a much-needed renovation to modernize the facility. But having a single theater suitable for student use is still not enough. Too many groups desire access. Too often students are squeezed out, as at Lisner, in favor of those outside organizations seeking to use GW facilities.

Once the renovations are complete, the Betts Theater must be reserved primarily for student-produced shows. Some strides are being taken. But in this era of nationwide music department cuts and phasing out fine arts curricula in middle and high schools, GW has a responsibility to offer its students the best performing arts facilities possible.