During February of 2021, Texas experienced one of the worst winter freezes in recent memory. During this time schools were shut down as well as businesses. During the shut down the cold winter air froze pipes and caused them to burst.

This affected the school the most, as the workshop behind the theater stage has many water pipes in the roof. As part of the safety system, during any power outage, a battery backup opens the garage door to allow for a swift and easy evacuation. As a result of the power outage, the garage door was opened, and all the cold winter air was let into the building. This evidently froze all the pipes in the ceiling and caused them to burst. Since this was a weekend, no staff were in the building, so all the water from the pipes was allowed to rush onto the stage, and flood the “House”, where the audience sits during a play.

It took several days to drain all the water from the stage, and the House. After the water had been removed from the stage, a true assessment of the damage could be taken. An interesting thing happens when wood is soaked, then suddenly dried. The stage was completely destroyed, with bits of wood warped and broken. The whole top layer of the stage was removed, all the way down to the concrete slab underneath the stage.

After the damaged wood was removed from the stage, the rebuilding process could commence. During the months of March and April, the fantastic crew was brought in to rebuild the stage from the ground worked diligently to complete the stage before the next performance. They had to create a new foundation for the stage, consisting of a waffle-like structure that would go under the main stage. After this was completed the main stage was placed on top and nailed down. Next, they rebuilt the edges of the stage that had been broken off to prevent the growth of mold.

Now as the school year closes the stage is pristine and polished, with a reinvigorated look to it. After the struggle of the freeze the school is left with a great stage for future performances to be held on.