For over 20 years, The Drama Program at Monsignor Pace High School (Pace Drama) has fostered opportunity for our students to explore their passion for theatre. From The Great Gatsby to Puffs - Guys & Dolls to Mean Girls - and everything in between, our productions are completely student-centered - meaning that not only are we focused with creating a space for students to make the most of their high school experience, but also to nurture and challenge their talents, expose and help them develop new, valuable, and unique skill sets, and allow students hands on experience to be able to apply those practices. In other words, while our students are multi-talented, our productions are completely student run, on and off the stage. Pace Drama values hard work, family, and love for the performing arts and throughout our history of show-stopping performances, we aspire to live up to those values while creating memories our students will cherish long after their high school years. 

Pace Drama is a self-funded, non-profit educational theatre program, that hosts our school's Drama Club, as well as our very own Signature Academies. Our Theatre Academy, as the rest of our school's signature academies, is unique to Monsignor Pace. It offers our students to further develop their academic interests, provide experiences beyond the classroom that would connect them with the real world, and investigate potential paths that they will pursue in college and future career avenues - all while taking their choice of elective courses over a multi-year period. The Theatre Academy is divided into three separate areas of emphasis, based on the student’s individual background, interests, and goals: Theatre, Musical Theatre, and Technical Theatre. The Theatre emphasis is designed to receive a solid foundation in all aspects of acting, including improvisation, stage combat, and film. The Musical Theatre emphasis is a concentrated study for the well rounded performer - music, acting, and dance. The Technical Theatre emphasis provides instruction and opportunity to explore stagecraft, design, and directing. Our Academy program was even nominated for the Varsity Brands School Spirit National Awards in 2016 for the Performing Arts Achievement Award and Spirit of Inclusion Award. 

Pace Drama also oversees our International Thespian Honor Society, the honor society for educational theatre at the high school level. Through District 8 as Troupe 5457, these honor students have not only showcased their amazing talents and skill sets, but have also been deeply dedicated to their academic education and go above and beyond for their contributions to Pace Drama. One of the privileges that comes with being a thespian is attending the Florida State Thespian Festival in Tampa, where thespians can compete in different categories like Large Group Musical, Monologues, and Costume Design - examples of categories that we have all won Top Honors (Best in the District/State) for in the past! In total throughout the District, State, and International Competition Level, Troupe 5457 has won 11 Top Honors Awards (formerly known as Critic's Choice, meaning best overall), over 200 Superiors (the First Place Equivalent), and over 100 Excellents (the Second Place Equivalent). Not only are they able to compete, but our students are also given the chance to work and learn from Theatre Industry Professionals, from Broadway and Beyond, and our Juniors and Seniors are even able to audition for various colleges and scholarships to help foster their higher level theatre education. This opportunity is a costly one, but for 20 years, it continues to be an experience these kids will always treasure and never forget.

Over the years, Pace Drama has had a countless number of productions under its belt: Mainstage Shows, Showcases, Open Mic Nights, One Act Plays, and even special events such as performances at St. Benedict's Church Carnival and appearances in NBC 6 in the Mix's Caravan of Joy. Our Mainstage Shows mainly consist of our Fall Play and our Spring Musical. We've produced so many literary classics like The Great Gatsby and Murder on The Orient Express, Golden Age musicals like Cinderella and The Sound of Music, your favorite Disney stories like Peter & the Starcatcher and Beauty & The Beast, and even modern day marvels from the minds of Lin Manuel Miranda, like In The Heights and Bring It On: The Musical. And so many more! Every year, as a fundraiser for our students attending State Competition, we hold our annual Thespian Showcase, which celebrates the work of our competing thespians, who performed and presented their own pieces at District Competition. To close off our year's season, alongside the other signature academies, Pace Drama participates in the the Performing Arts Academy Showcase - displaying all the wonderful work our students have developed over the course of the academic year in music, dance, art, and theatre.

Ms. Almanza is an enthusiastic and dedicated theatre educator with a passion for all of the performing arts. She holds a degree in Theatre Arts from Florida International University and has worked extensively both on and off the stage. Ms. Almanza is all about fostering creativity, confidence, empathy, and collaboration among her students. She believes in the transformative power of theatre and strives to create a supportive and inspiring environment where every student can thrive and utilize their knowledge in Theatre as a tool on and offstage. Her classes focus on a range of theatrical disciplines, including acting, directing, script analysis, and musicality, ensuring an enriching experience for all her students.