Home > News Hundreds turn out to honor Saugus High drama teacher Originally Published on Sunday, December 02, 2012 By Matt Tempesta / The Daily Item

SAUGUS More than 30 years worth of Saugus High School Drama Club alumni took to the stage Friday night at the high school auditorium to honor drama teacher Nancy Lemoine, who has been on medical leave since the summer with a rare form of cancer.

The show, called "Nan Through the Years," featured more than two dozen scenes and musical numbers from shows Lemoine had directed throughout her 20-plus year career.

The first act of the revue started with an introduction by Christopher Sicuranza (class of '02) followed by a reunion of close to 10 years of members of the Needs Improvment improvisation troupe. Musical numbers included "We Go Together" from "Grease" and "Light of the World" from "Godspell."

"She would always make sure I was known to people, I was a little shy at the time," Sicuranza told the audience. "She made sure to bring out the best in everybody. That's what we're celebrating tonight. The fact that somebody meant so much to so many people and we're here to pay homage to her."

Alumni from as far back as 1975 participated in the show, as John Macero (class of '81), teamed up with David Picariello (class of '13), Peter DiMauro (class of '06) and Brittany Daley (class of '07) to sing "Put on a Happy Face" from "Bye, Bye Birdie."

In act two, the cast sang numbers from "Chicago," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat," and performed a scene from a "Midsummer Night's Dream."

Bobby Imperato (class of '01) and Priscilla Swain (class of '05) co-directed "Nan Through the Years," and Swain said when they found out Lemoine was sick, they wanted to "give back."

"She was born and raised in Saugus and made this a great program here," said Swain. "Nan taught us a lot about using your talent to give back to the community, and she brought a lot of us out to sing for homeless people and the elderly. She does all of this selflessly. She's a wonderful lady."

Tricia Savage's son Robert, who was featured in Friday's show, graduated from Saugus High in 2000. She said Lemoine played a "huge" role in her son's life.

See more here:
Hundreds turn out to honor Saugus High drama teacher