The 15th anniversary and re-dedication of The Brandt Theatre, also known as The Black Box Theatre, was held in The Brandt Theatre on April 25. Blair Brand, the son of Laurence Brandt who donated The Brandt Theatre, hosted the event. Attended by Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. himself, the re-dedication featured speeches from School of The Arts Foundation (SOAFI) board members and musical numbers performed by the Dreyfoos theatre department.

“We were approached last week and asked to put together some classic Broadway songs,” theatre senior and director of the performance Zak Biggins said. “We wanted to tell the story of what it’s like to be a theatre student and to touch people’s hearts with our art.”

Laurence Brandt’s father, William Brandt, was a movie theater tycoon who owned over 100 movie theaters.

“My dad, [Laurence Brandt] wanted to remind people of the importance of the arts,” Blair Brandt said. “The arts may not seem like a pressing matter, but art is the color of life.”

The theme of the re-dedication was the formation of Dreyfoos and how the community helped to build a small school with big dreams. During the first years of Dreyfoos, SOAFI board members hosted cocktail parties to raise money and invited students to come and perform.

“The community really supports this place because they see the value of the students and faculty; it’s just a special place,” Kris Lidinsky, director of SOAFI said. “I know that students who leave Dreyfoos will go on to affect millions of people through their art.”

The determination of a hopeful community and the ability of talented students to recognize a one of a kind place are what contributed to Dreyfoos’ success.

“When you google the name Dreyfoos, thousands of results of student accomplishments pop up,” Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. said. “It is the success of you students that dominate the name.”