In October 2023, $550,000 in funds were granted to repair the broken auditorium, but repairs have yet to be completed.
The ineffective auditorium has placed restrictions on theater productions since it was shut down after the 2022 spring musical “Les Miserables,” due to problems created by the installation of used and defective equipment.
Since then, the repair process has been continuously pushed back. “DCPS and Department of General Services (DGS) officials have given verbal assurances that this work would be done in school years 2022-23 and 2023-24, and it was not done. Now, we’re in the 2024-25 school year and the amount of work that has happened so far is minimal,” said Melody Molinoff, a JR parent and chair of the JRHS Local School Advisory Team.
Due to the lack of an official published timeline for the repair process by DCPS and DGS, the expected finish date remains unclear. Daniel Iwaniec, performing arts teacher and director of the theater department was given a “very rough target” of a timeline. “They said that it would be any time between the very end of [this upcoming] January to the beginning of February, to the end of May.”
However, Chief of External Affairs at DCPS Kera Tyler stated in an interview with The Beacon that “regarding a timeline, the remaining work will be carried out between October 11 and November 4.” Additionally, Tyler said the “project plan isn’t public-facing.”
Molinoff added that she “wouldn’t consider the response a timeline. It’s a timeframe and the problem with time frames is that they are not specific and do not provide deadlines or real accountability.”
Iwaniec stated, “from my understanding, they need to get all the ordering [of supplies] done by the end of the fiscal year,” on September 30. Since the official contract was not awarded to the vendor (the company that completes the work) until June, months after the funding was allocated, DGS and the contractors have been “trying to place orders as fast as they can” to meet this deadline.
Most of the audio-visual repairs have been completed, including the screens, projectors, sound boards, and speakers. However, due to the roof leakage above the stage, the lights have not been installed. “That project is expected to be completed in early November,” said Tyler. Seating areas, window blinds, and curtains have yet to be fixed.
“We’re making progress,” said Principal Sah Brown. “I think it’s just one of many examples of how resilient we are as a school community.”
Senior theater community member Henry Brylawski stated that the “lack of an auditorium gives us the ability to become a lot more creative with black box musicals.” However, the “auditorium shows make people want to do theater and keep coming back for more.”
“I’ve already started to see the number of students involved with theater has drastically decreased,” Iwaniec added. With fewer people, there is also less money for funding: “It’s this tumbling effect.” The theater department has started making cutbacks to their shows and has had to ask families to buy parts of their costumes. However, “we also don’t want to make it inaccessible.”
Regarding the speed of the repairs, Iwaniec stated “It is, I don’t want to say dire, but if we’re not in the auditorium next year, a total restructuring of our program [will have to occur] to make it functional.”
