The East Tennessee State Amphitheater sits at the edge of campus, hidden by the looming shadow of the Culp Center’s Cave entrance to stage left. To stage right, the mundane brick side wall of Nicks Hall serves as a protective barrier to fence off the theater from the rest of the world.

Seventy-three years ago, when it was first constructed, it wasn't surrounded by buildings as it is now. When it was in its prime, it was a place bustling with activity. Students sat on the grassy steps, assuming the role of university troubadours singing to the strum of their guitars; aspiring actors practiced on the white, eight-columned stage; clubs and organizations even met on the shallow steps. On warm, pretty days, when the trees surrounding the theater were in full bloom, campus events were held on stage for everyone to see while students mingled around the theater grounds.

Back then, it was a center of importance, action and memories; a signature spot in campus. The ETSU official website describes it as an outdoor playhouse that "will enable the college to carry on a valuable program of pageants and plays such as no other school in East Tennessee can."

Today, the Borchuck Plaza in front of the new Sherrod Library replaces the amphitheater as the campus "hot spot."  The amphitheater is rarely used for campus events. The grassy steps that cascade down to the stage and also play a dual role as seats are now empty. They, as well as the stage, seem poorly kept due to lack of use and attention. It has simply become a piece of history.  Now, students commonly pass by without exposing an inkling of recognition that the theater exists.

Still, the theater seems to capture the classical Greek theme more so now than it did in its earlier days. There even seems to be a sense of age and wisdom that resonates from the now worn, chipped, stony-edged steps.

Sometimes there is a spark of life in the forgotten theater. On clear nights, an occasional straggler passes near the two globes resting on brick pedestals that mark the entrance of the theater to sit among the steps to do homework, play an instrument or just think about life.  It's too bad the globe lights that hang between the columns fail to work anymore. If they were fixed and fully maintained, they might attract more activity to the theater in the evenings, giving it a semblance of a night life instead of forgotten solitude. Instead of a single straggler, groups might wander onto the unruly stage, giving the theater a sense of purpose again.