When someone is 74 years old, you expect them to be retired, not performing in the theatre. Well even though the auditorium at South Broward High School is seventy-four years old, it is still going on with the show.

Drama teacher Carol Spears is overjoyed with the fact that the auditorium is, at last, getting the facelift it needs. “I’m excited that they’re finally renovating the theatre, it’s been long past due,” said Spears.

Built in 1946, the theatre needed everything. New curtains, new walls, new stage floor, and electrical work. Assistant Principal Gregory Pluim is in charge of overseeing changes around the school.

The money to cover the upgrades was from a bond put in place by the Broward County school district eight years ago, to compile $800 million for schools to purchase school equipment, fund repairs, and fund renovations, one of which was our own South Broward High School auditorium.

With this funding, the school has been working on fixing several classrooms, roofing problems, and the air conditioning units. The district said to replace the curtains of the auditorium’s stage with ones for soundproofing, along with replacing the walls with soundproof material.

“During the replacement of the wall panels, we ended up seeing some old electric issues that needed to

be replaced,” said Pluim.

South Broward High School senior, Arielle Adelman, is a drama student in Ms. Spears’ class. She’s happy about the renovations, but she said that the construction of the auditorium is making it hard for the drama students to find a place to perform their end-of-the-year show. Adelman was disappointed when told that the construction will not finish until January of 2023.

“I’m happy that future years will have a nice auditorium, but I’m sad that I can’t use it,” said Adelman.

Along with these changes, the school is renovating several classrooms in the 300 building, including replacing the old lighting, shining floors, and new cabinetry, and repairing the current air conditioning system.

The drama class is thinking of moving their performance to the gym, cafeteria, or even another school.

“Even though it’s giving us some difficult challenges, we will press forward and perform wherever we have the opportunities,” said Spears.