Facilities

Dorothy Stickney, an accomplished actress and Dickinson native, flourished on Broadway from the early thirties until the mid seventies. She originated roles in such plays as “The Front Page” and “On Borrowed Time.” And, of course, Dorothy was the first to play Vinnie Day in “Life with Father,” the longest running straight play in Broadway history. Written by her husband , Howard Lindsay, and his collaborator, Russel Crouse, the role won Dorothy the N.Y. Drama League award. Later, Dorothy appeared in “Life with Mother,” a well received sequel to the earlier play. She also enjoyed successes on stage with Mary Martin and Charles Boyer in “Kind Sir” and opposite Marlon Brando in “A Sreetcar Named Desire.” In 1963, Miss Stickney received North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award for Outstanding Achievement by a North Dakota native. Her last Broadway performance was as Berthe in “Pippin.” She contributed significantly to the initial remodeling of the gymnasium space that became the auditorium. She also left a sizable scholarship endowment to DSU Theatre.

Theatre Facilities

Seating 735, Dorothy Stickney Auditorium is our primary performance venue. The proscenium is 40′ wide and 16′ high. The stage depth is 30′ from apron edge to cyclorama, 17′ from curtain line to cyclorama. A Yamaha sound system is controlled from the booth at the rear of the house.

There are 150 light circuits throughout the auditorium (60 front of house, 40 on a first electric, 40 on a second electric and 10 in pockets). These patch to 44 2K dimmers and 2 6K dimmers and are controlled by a Colortran computer light board in the booth at the rear of the house. Grid is 25′ above the stage. The electrics and a Wanger Cloud are on motor driven winches. All else is dead hung. There are no traps.

We store a large number of costumes and props from various periods in the attic above our stage spaces.