History

In 1981, Bonnie Spark was hired by Fr. Terry Young to teach English and communications. She was also to develop a Performing Arts program. Thus, the Pius Players Drama Program was born. The first performance was a fall arts variety show in November of 1981 and was held in the cafeteria. The show featured drama scenes, dance, and poetry readings. The small group of 18 students were an instant hit, representing their craft with the recognizable comedy and tragedy t-shirts. Parents, students, and administrators were thrilled, and our arts community had finally arrived.

The first few shows were so successful that Bishop Donnellan said, “We need a real theatre.” In May of 1986, the Young Center presented the great Rodgers and Hammerstein’s hit show, Oklahoma! With a cast of 80, choreography by Lynn Fleetwood Dukes (creator of the inaugural dance program at St. Pius), and musical director Jay Hinson, the 6 shows were sellouts!

In the 90s, the drama department grew from a club to a co-curricular program. The Pius Players would tour and perform at partner schools in hopes of inspiring young talent. In the 2000s through the 2010s, musicals such as Into the Woods, West Side Story, Les Mis, Guys and Dolls, Grease, Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, and the smash hit Newsies, were standing room only. Fall plays included The Tempest, The Miser, Arsenic and Old Lace, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Antigone, and Clue: The Stage Play.

In recent years, the Advanced Drama Company class was formed and students began competing at the Georgia Theatre Conference and the Georgia High School Association One Act Competition. One Act performances for these competitions have included Elephant’s Graveyard, A Voice in the Dark: A Salem Story (GHSA Runner Up), and The Complete History of Theatre: Abridged (GHSA Runner Up). Through participation in performances, students are also eligible to join the International Thespian Society, an educational theatre association honoring student achievement in theatre. Their membership includes the opportunity to attend the Georgia Thespian Conference (ThesCon) to compete and attend workshops with other high school theatre students annually, representing the SPX Thespian Troupe 9021. 

The Pius Players legacy begun by Bonnie Spark, continues on by the current Theatre Director, SPX and Pius Players alum Jami Terracino Warren ‘09. New classes have been added, focusing in different areas of study including musical theatre, acting technique, and play analysis. 

The Spring Musical remains open to all who wish to audition and the casting includes not only students involved in theatre classes, but also students from other areas of the  fine arts department, different academic focuses, and athletes. Recent musicals include The Addams Family, The Little Mermaid, and Singin’ in the Rain. These productions are the finest example of what makes St. Pius X the collaborative community it is with support from faculty, staff, and most importantly, the students to bring together a spectacle of talent on the Young Center Stage.