Nearly a decade of hard work and passion have built up Monsignor Edward Pace High School’s Drama program into one of the most prominent academies at the school. On August 19, the Academy of Visual & Performing Arts Theatre Program celebrated the next leap forward in its history with the official opening of its new black box theater.
The theater, funded entirely by donations and made up of several classrooms merged into one giant room, allows drama students to rehearse and perform in their own dedicated space, complete with mirrors, prop boxes, and an audience setup for small, intimate performances. It also operates as the classroom for Cristina Pla-Guzman, lead teacher for Pace’s Theatre Program.
“This has been a dream since my first year here,” said Pla-Guzman, who became Pace’s drama teacher in 2007 and has led the program since. “We have a very great facility to have lots of interesting and innovative things. I look forward to doing things like student-directed scenes, small cabaret performances, and hosting Open Mic Night this school year.”
To celebrate the theater’s opening and the program’s storied history, Pla-Guzman and the Drama club invited Pace parents, alumni, and friends to a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 19. Guests dined on an array of foods, reconnected with past and current students, and experienced the black box theater for the first time with performances from seniors Victoria Jebian and Antonio Rodriguez.
“I think [the black box theater] is amazing, it’s bigger than I ever expected,” said Kenea Sejour, a Pace Class of 2015 alumna who is currently majoring in musical theater at the University of Jacksonville.
“I can’t wait to have technical classes in here and be able to make props, sets, and have our space to do shows,” said Alex Pereda, sophomore and Pace Drama’s Head of Sound.
Sophia Lama, another sophomore and Pace Drama’s Prop Master, agreed that the theater would give students new found freedom, saying “I’m excited about experimenting with the space, getting creative, and being able to build our own settings in a free and personal space.”
Regular performances will still be held in the school’s Spartan Center, but Pla-Guzman says she hopes to one day have a full-fledged theater with a larger stage and work space on campus. Pace Drama is already using the black box theater to hold auditions and prepare for its Fall 2015 show “Night of the Living Dead,” which will open October 28-30.