When students took the stage last night at Mt. Lebanon High School's Fine Arts Theater to open their production of "It's Greek to Me," they were continuing a theater tradition that started in the district in 1930.

The production, which runs through Saturday, marks the kickoff of the 75th anniversary celebration of theater productions at the high school.

That celebration will last throughout the school year with various activities and will culminate with an alumni reunion in the spring, said Cynthia Schreiner, a fine arts department faculty member and director of "It's Greek To Me."

"We already have a committee of local working professionals who are at work on plans for the reunion and trying to figure out how to research and find alums," Mrs. Schreiner said. "There are so many avenues that the kids take and I am hoping to find them all."

No date or venue has been chosen for the reunion. But the planning group, with help from the faculty, hopes to get some of the school's more famous graduates to return for the reunion.

The list includes Ming-Na, who starred as June in the movie "The Joy Luck Club," and as Dr. Deb Chen on the television series, "ER," and is the voice of Mulan in animated Disney films.

Others include Dan London, who co-starred with Robin Williams in the movie, "Patch Adams;" Joe Manganiello, who played Flash Thompson in the movie "Spider-Man;" and Billy Hartung, who was a member of the male chorus in the movie "Chicago."

The most recent star from the high school is 2004 graduate Brandi Engel, who is starring in the soon-to-be-released "Believe in Me."

Over the years, faculty members have kept in touch with graduates and hope to use those connections as the starting point for tracking down alumni for the reunion.

During the past 75 years, 161 theatrical productions have been staged at Mt. Lebanon High School, Mrs. Schreiner said. That number doesn't include the annual spring musicals.

The first formal theatrical production at Mt. Lebanon High School, "Captain Applejack," was staged Dec. 18, 1930, at Washington School, which was the district's high school.

Before the formal productions, there were pageants on the athletic field at Washington School, according to a department history compiled by the late Julian T. Myers, a retired faculty member.

Although the new high school opened on Cochran Road in 1930, theater productions continued to be held at Washington School because the new high school had no auditorium. In 1939, they moved to Mellon Junior High School when its auditorium opened.

It wasn't until 1956 that the high school productions were held at the high school. That's the year an auditorium was finished as part of a new wing at the school. In 1972, the Fine Arts Theater, also known as the Little Theater, was added.

Among the more well-known productions staged over the years were: "Death take a Holiday," "Arsenic and Old Lace," "Cheaper By the Dozen," "Canterbury Tales," "Our Town," "The Miracle Worker" and "I Remember Mama."

This week's production of "It's Greek To Me" was chosen to honor the Greek tradition that presented a tragedy that taught a life lesson followed by a comedy that provided comic relief to the audience, Mrs. Schreiner said. "It's Greek To Me" includes a drama, titled "The Woman." It is followed by "The Clouds," a comedy. Greek foods will be available during intermission.

The creation of the theater program which exists today is credited in large part to Mr. Myers, who came to Mt. Lebanon High School in 1954.

He developed the theater curriculum at the school for both acting and technical theater. He was also the most prolific of the faculty directors, producing 57 plays in 1954-1976.

Mrs. Schreiner said Mr. Myers "had a vision about building a theater curriculum in the schools."

In addition to writing a history of the department, Mr. Myers and James Lutz, another faculty member, collaborated on a pictorial history of the department. With a grant from the Mt. Lebanon Community Foundation, they researched every production from 1930 to 1987 and had posters produced to represent each.

The collection has been completed to include productions to the present. There are 120 posters, some of them representing more than one play. A sampling of the posters which includes one from each of the school's 11 producers is on display this week in the lobby of the Fine Arts Theater.

Posters for the earlier plays were made from black and white photos copied from yearbooks and playbills. Posters for more recent plays are more colorful because of the availability of color photos and graphics.

Mrs. Schreiner said that, while she was hanging the posters recently, she thought about the students who are depicted in them.

"These graduates have had a common connection and bond with our current and future theater students. All will have experienced the commitment of opening night, the energy during the performances, the applause and the social rewards and the friendships that were formed with each production," she said.

The department has garnered some honors.

In 1970, an International Thespian Troupe called the Backstage Players, which was founded by Mr. Myers, was one of five schools invited to present a play at the International Thespian Society at Indiana University.

During the 1990-91 school year, excerpts from the high school production of "Romeo and Juliet" were broadcast by Bravo Television Network after the network designated the school as having an outstanding theater department.

"Romeo and Juliet" was produced by Robert Rosen, who is still on the Mt. Lebanon faculty and has produced 27 plays since 1978.

In the 2002-03 school year, the high school received one of six Outstanding School Awards from the Educational Theatre Association, which said the school's theater program "serves as a model" for the type of program the association promotes.

Tickets to "It's Greek To Me" are $5 and can be purchased at the door or by calling the Fine Arts Department at 412-344-2030. Curtain is at 7:30 each night. Graduates interested in attending the spring reunion can contact the school by e-mail at cschreiner@mtlsd.net.