SHDHS.org / Fine Arts / Drama

Emily Himonidis - ehimonidis@shdhs.org - Drama I / Drama II / Director
BA Secondary Education and Drama, AA Mathematics and Speech Communication, Magna Cum Laude, Thomas More College
MS Education, Northern Kentucky University

Pyramids. Speakeasies. Austrian mountains. Munchkinland. Churches, restaurants, DMV buildings, Haitian islands, museums, hotels, farm animals, nuns, soldiers, kindergarteners, and disciples. Only on the SHDHS stage do these things appear, year after year, under both the direction and dedication of Mrs. Emily Himonidis.

Before coming to SHDHS, Mrs. Himonidis performed in the Thomas More Villa Players for four years, contributing to eight plays; she has also served as technical director, head of publicity, head of makeup, lighting and sound director, stage manager, and student director. Mrs. Himonidis has also written and produced one-act plays of her own. During her ten-year tenure at SHDHS, Mrs. Himonidis has directed sixteen plays and musicals, coached the Speech and Drama Team, served on the school board, chaired the SHDHS Awards Committee, and served on the School Service Committee. Recently, she received the Acclaim Award for Theater Educator of the Year (2009). Mrs. Himonidis has also increased the number of participating students in fall and spring productions at SHDHS from 30 to 75 students. Audiences are floored year after year by St. Henry's dramatic performances.

The philosophy of the drama department is to allow students the opportunity to create new characters and to express those characters onstage in a compelling manner that shares a story and a message with their audience. All students may participate in many fashions and functions to bring the play to life on stage as one community. Katie Mauntel ('12) said that "the most important thing I want to do in my life is to move people the way that Mrs. H. taught me in the musical Aida. I love singing and dancing with a meaning behind it because it makes me feel like I'm a part of something bigger than myself. I love the plays, and I plan to be a part of all of them in my years to come. Not only are they tons of fun, but they also provide a time where I get to be myself and can forget about a hectic life for a while� And no matter what mood I'm in walking into play practice, I always come out with a smile on my face and memories to always hold in my heart. Every sport that I'm a part of will never be as close as my Drama Family."

"The drama department at St. Henry is the only place where I've felt truly accepted and supported. Coming out of my shell in high school was a tough thing to do, but, through the plays and the musicals, I've learned to be outgoing and charismatic in everything I do. I've found dancers and singers and actors and actresses that have become a huge part of my life, and I've found a place where I feel a sense of family," added Chelsea Gabbard ('10).

Mrs. Himonidis said "Teenagers don't always realize how much they have to offer. Once they learn to express themselves, you have to just step back and let them run with it. Once you give them the guidance, their creativity, resourcefulness, and teamwork can leave you speechless. I find myself very blessed to be able to work with these students every day. They are professional, powerful, and talented, and they continue to move me as they work diligently to bring a production to life. They make me so proud every time they perform onstage as I watch them move an audience and change lives. They create a community of students that understands the importance of working together to create something breathtaking, as well as to be touched by the magic themselves in the friendships they create."

Spirit. Community. Friendship. Family. Talent, memories, tears, laughter, life, emotion, passion, power, and love. Only on the SHDHS stage do these things appear, year after year, under the direction, dedication, and loving guidance of Mrs. Emily Himonidis.

SHDHS has produced the following plays and musicals:

The Good Doctor by Neil Simon
A Night on Broadway (25 various songs and dances from 23 different Broadway musicals)
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
The Sound of Music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
Godspell, conceived and originally directed by John Michael Tebelak, music and new lyrics by Steven Schwartz, and originally produced on the New York stage by Edgar Lansbury, Sturart Duncan and Joseph Beruh
A Night of Children's Theatre (included The Bremen Town Musicians by Emily Himonidis, How to Eat Like a Child by Delia Ephron, The Final Dress Rehearsal by Jack Frakes, Once Upon a Wolf by Steph DeFerie, Rapunzel Uncut by Mariah Everman, and Snow White � Interactive by Emily Himonidis
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
A Night of One Acts (including: Man, Women, Flower by Dan LaRocque, The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet by Peter Bloedel, Check Please by Jonathan Rand, and Funeral Parlor by Christopher Durang).
HONK! - A Musical Tale of the Ugly Duckling Books and Lyrics by Anthony Drewe, Music by George Stiles
Another Night of One Acts: Oh � The Drama! (included Check Please 2, Mrs. Sorkin, DMV Tyrant, 15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play, Competition Piece, Quiet Misty Meadows)
Once on this Island. Books and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Music by Stephan Flaherty. Based up the novel "My Love, My Love", by Rosa Guy
Uh Oh! Here Comes Christmas! by Robert Fulghum
Thoroughly Modern Millie book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan with Music by Jeanine Tesori and Lyrics by Dick Scanlan
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Aida by Elton John and Tim Rice