Rebuilding Kicks-off at Long Island’s East Rockaway High School to
Restore School Theater Destroyed by Hurricane Sandy

NBC’s hit series “Smash,” home improvement retailer Lowe’s, and iTheatrics have partnered to help schools across America improve their theaters through the “NBC’s ‘Smash’: Make a Musical constructed by Lowe’s” initiative.  The program launched February 19th and will be administered by educational theater consultancy firm iTheatrics as “Smash” continues in its second season following its broadcast return earlier this month.
Apply Today
Schools across America with theaters in need of repairs may apply for the “NBC’s ‘Smash’: Make a Musical constructed by Lowe’s” initiative at makeamusical.org starting today. The program is sponsored by Lowe’s and NBC’s “Smash.”  The deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 6.  On Tuesday, March 12, 30 finalists will be named and communities will compete to receive the most online votes before Wednesday, April 10.  The top-five grand-prize winners will receive a gift card from Lowe’s to help renovate their theater.
Stars Lend a Hand in East Rockaway
Last season, “NBC’s ‘Smash’: Make a Musical” created musical theater programs in schools by giving educators and students the tools and training they needed to build self-sustaining programs in under-served schools.  The partnership was the catalyst for iTheatrics to produce 170 “Make a Musical” programs in schools across the U.S., with “NBC’s Smash’: Make a Musical” being directly responsible for creating 30 additional musical theater programs.    “NBC’s ‘Smash’: Make a Musical” was awarded a 2012 Thalo Critics’ Choice Inspiration Award.

To kick-off the “NBC’s ‘Smash’: Make a Musical constructed by Lowe’s” initiative, Broadway star and “Smash” cast member Jeremy Jordan, local Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers, Irwin Contracting, Inc., and volunteers from national non-profit Rebuilding Together joined together in February to rebuild and restore East Rockaway High School’s auditorium.

East Rockaway High School was overcome by a tidal surge during Hurricane Sandy which caused an estimated $10 million worth of damage.  The auditorium took on over four feet of water which destroyed the stage, theater seating, curtains, props and flats.  Students at East Rockaway were planning to perform the musical Seussical at the beginning of February.   Even though their theater wasn’t functioning, they performed excerpts from the show on a neighboring school district’s stage as a fundraiser to raise additional funds to repair their auditorium.

“Our involvement in the East Rockaway High School project is a natural extension of Lowe’s commitment to provide both immediate and long-term support to the communities   impacted by this historic storm,” said Joan Higginbotham, Lowe’s director of community relations.  “Our Lowe’s Heroes are eager to help the students at East Rockaway get their theater performance-ready and we’re excited to see the transformations that happen at other schools through the ‘Smash: Make a Musical constructed by Lowe’s’ program.”



East Rockaway Superintendent Dr. Roseanne Melucci added: “This isn’t just an auditorium; this is the heart of our school community.  This is the stage our school community uses for public meetings, celebrations of student success and town halls.  This is the stage where our students’ grandparents, mothers and fathers stood on to graduate from this school.  And this year’s class of 2013 must continue in the tradition.  We must restore this space to be better than ever to show this community that there is hope and there is progress and that we are going to be ok.”

During our site visits last year to the ‘NBC’s ‘Smash’: Make a Musical’ schools, we saw firsthand how the current economic climate has not only decimated our nation’s art programs, it has delayed desperately needed repairs in school theaters,” says Timothy Allen McDonald, the founding chairman of iTheatrics.  “‘Smash,’ Lowe’s, and Rebuilding Together are doing more than improving school theater programs across the nation, they are shining the spotlight on inspiring schools deserving of support.  We hope that community members and businesses will follow their lead and find their own ways to make a difference.”

“Rebuilding Together is honored to be working with Lowe’s and ‘NBC’s ‘Smash’ Make a Musical’ to help deliver critical repairs at East Rockaway High School, including replacing the staging and flooring in the auditorium,” said John L. Fiegel, interim president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “Separately, as part of the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, Rebuilding Together is working toward a longer term rebuild goal of more than 100 homes in the affected regions.  Our affiliates in the New York, New Jersey and other areas are identifying and assessing neighborhoods and homeowners and community centers, which may need our assistance.”