DeLorenzo says that he understands that the Institute has the least priority because it is the newcomer. And he says the advantages of having undergraduates, Institute students and ART cast members together outweighs the inconveniences of space constraints.

Currently, Institute students use the Ex only when undergraduates are not performing there. Institute members also perform at the Agassiz Theater in the Radcliffe yard and Cabot House.

"Harvard University didn't think it through when they put three different institutions in the same building," says Rieffel.

Tensions over use of the Ex began when HRDC members thought the Institute was trying to circumvent the board in order to get permission from the Standing Committee to use the theater, Meserve says. However, for the past two years, HRDC has allowed the Institute to use the Ex during exams and vacations.

"There are occasional bones of contention over the Ex but they've been settled," says Alfred. "And if they have not we'll settle them."

In fact, Alfred's outlook expresses an optimism shared by many in the theater community using the Loeb that solutions to many problems can be found.

"We tend to focus too much on tension, on feeling compelled to coexist than deepening the relationship," says Miller. "That's true about both groups."