PORTSMOUTH — It was out with the old inside the Portsmouth High School auditorium, as the original, 50-plus-year-old wooden folding chairs were ripped out Thursday, June 27, to make way for new cushioned seats that are arriving in about three weeks.

It’s part of the first phase of a major renovation project that’s transforming the obsolete theater — opened in 1963 — into a state-of-the-art community hub for drama and music. Fund-raising efforts are being led by the nonprofit Kate Grana Music and Arts Association (KGMAA) in memory of the beloved music teacher, choral director and vocal coach who died in May 2016. 

Margie Brennan, a member of KGMAA, was thrilled with what she was seeing Thursday and couldn’t wait for the next steps.

“Next week we’re going to rip up the rug and they’re going to level out the cement,” she said. “During that time, Coastal Electric will very generously be putting in the LED lights — brighter house lights. In about three weeks, that’s when Barbizon Lighting’s coming in and doing their lighting. We also have Adtech (Systems) out of Boston coming in to do the sound system.”

The new lighting and sound systems will cost about $100,000 each, while the new chairs are about $115,000, she said.

Meanwhile, the donations keep pouring in. (June 30 is the deadline for donations to get a name on a seat plate or a wall plaque if you want to ensure they’re ready for the September grand opening, but contributions after that date will still be accepted.)

“We were given a very generous donation by Dr. Arthur Daily. He donated $25,000, specifically for the sound,” Ms. Brennan said.  

A late “class battle” on social media, in which former PHS students challenged each other to donate toward the cause, has also brought in extra funds. 

“Laurie Spaner (Class of 1985), Debbi Pappas (’75) and Jackie Grinnell (’86) have been instrumental in helping with the (fund-raising) push,” she said. 

In less than 24 hours, KGMAA recently collected $3,500 in donations from the class challenge alone, Ms. Brennan said. In addition, the Class of 1979 reunion committee recently voted to hold a fund-raising challenge for KGMAA at its 40th reunion on Aug. 10.

The extra funding has allowed KGMAA to buy some “extras” such as an audiovisual system. 

“The AV system wasn’t even planned,” she said. “We’re getting a brand-new Epson projector, and we have enough money where we can buy two brand-new spots. And we ordered a really nice lock desk; it’s for security.”

The new equipment, along with a new screen and sound system, will greatly benefit the Academy of Media Communications and Digital Production, the school’s R.I. Department of Education-certified career and technical education program that’s led by Gary Vaspol

The organization has also purchased a cyc, which is a backdrop on which you can hang lights to “bring the stage to life,” said Ms. Brennan, adding that director Sheli Silvera plans to use it for an ambitious production she’s planning for the fall.

In addition to private donations, the project has also received a big boost from grants, most notably a $225,000 contribution from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation.

For more information or to make a donation toward the PHS auditorium renovations, visit www.kgmaa.org.