Scarsdale High School’s auditorium is well-loved and well-used. It holds Drama Club productions, Jabberfest, keynote speakers, and more. However, over the many years of its existence, it has fallen into disrepair. “The ceiling plaster was disintegrating so that needed to be replaced. The acoustics of the space were less than ideal. We all know what shape the chairs were in!” SHS Theatre Tech teacher Dr. Graybill explained.
The space was first built in 1938 as a multi-use gymnasium and auditorium. It was considered state of the art for its time. Twenty years later, major renovations were completed to transform the space into exclusively an auditorium, with the addition of new gyms to the school. Significant renovations to the space took place in the 1980s with many structural changes and upgrades such as the infamous cloud ceiling to improve acoustics. Since then various small projects have been done to upgrade the space.
However, despite meticulous upkeep of the space, it had become increasingly clear that complete renovations were necessary. But having the space fully renovated wasn’t an easy endeavor. “There have been a lot of people involved in this that deserve far more credit than I. The committee was always looking for input from everyone. It has been a massive undertaking, and an incredible team effort,” Graybill added. Thankfully, in May of last year, the Scarsdale Community voted and passed a bond that would cover the cost of renovations for the High School Auditorium, which began this summer.
Although the auditorium is under construction, that is not stopping the drama club. Like normal, production for the fall musical, Chicago, is continuing. “It’s very different than what we are used to. Our theater program has never had to move to another venue, so we are adjusting to moving all of our equipment to somewhere new,” Cam Hersly ’26 explained.
To adapt, the play will take place at Iona Prep’s auditorium. Although their stage is smaller and rounder, compared to the High School auditorium’s old stage, much of what the tech crew is doing is the same. The set design is still building the set like normal, only this time based on Iona Prep’s auditorium. To ensure everything matched up, Graybill took detailed measurements of Iona Prep’s stage and with the help of the set design team created a three-dimensional computer model. However, construction also limited what space was available. “I’m still doing everything I used to do, but now I’m constricted to using only the Scene Shop and one or two classrooms,” Graybill explained. Actors have also had to move where they rehearse due to construction.
Once the set design team completed the build at SHS, they began moving the set over in pieces from Scarsdale to Iona Prep. In addition, they added Scarsdale’s lights to Iona Prep’s fixtures to help make the stage feel more like what they are used to.
As of now, the District does not have a date of completion for the auditorium. Despite disruptions, the District believes that the auditorium will be open to use around the end of January or early February.
“We are actively working with the general contractor on the schedule of specific construction materials that have long delivery timelines that may impact construction completion… but we are optimistic that there will be no significant schedule impacts,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Andrew Lennon stated.
Looking to the future, there are lots of things to be excited about for the new auditorium. “The catwalk will be easier to walk on. Backstage will be better organized too…But what most non-drama people see will just look and feel better,” Freddie Whitman ’26 explained. For now, the Drama Club is excited to put on the fall musical, Chicago, at Iona Prep during the weekend before Thanksgiving.
