During the 1932 school year, St. Paul’s College underwent considerable changes: the school was taken over by diocesan priests; the campus was relocated; enrollment increased; and construction began on Paul Shea Hall. These changes, particularly the increase in space and students, allowed for the organization of new extracurricular activities, including the St. Paul’s Dramatic Society.
The Society’s first production, an evening of one-act plays, was held at St. Mary’s Academy in April 1932. The following school year, the Fall performance of Charley’s Aunt was held in the newly constructed Paul Shea Hall. With the money earned from this first production, the Society purchased sets, props, and costumes for the following season.
With the arrival of the Jesuits in 1933, the Society continued to change, adapting to the interests of the new faculty and students. Productions transitioned between evenings of one-act plays and full-length productions throughout the decade as they sought to find a balance which allowed many students to be involved.
1931 - 1932: The Laziest Man in the World, Putting It Across and Julius Caesar
1932 - 1933: Charlie's Aunt and The Speckled Band
1933 - 1934: Tons of Money
1934 - 1935: One Hour in Hell and Queen Margaret's Triumph
1936 - 1937: The Whole Truth and The Seventh Doctor
1936 - 1937: Maroon and White, What's That You Say and Lady of the Lake
1937 - 1938: Trapped, Who Get's The Car Tonight and It Pays to Advertise
1938 - 1939: Pin a Pin on Me and The Laughing Cure
St. Paul's Dramatic Society Scrapbooks
St. Paul's Dramatic Society Scrapbooks
St. Paul's Dramatic Society Scrapbooks
As an all-boys school, St. Paul's College (SPC) did not have any female students to fill the female roles in the Society's productions. Due to this limitation, directors filled the female roles in the earliest performances (Charley's Aunt and The Speckled Band) with students from St. Mary's Academy.
By the close of the 1930s, all of the female roles were given to SPC students. This longstanding acting tradition allowed more of the students from SPC to be involved in the productions.