Peter Menz ’11
A&E Editor
After a battle with leukemia, former Staples theatre teacher and longtime Staples Players director Albert Pia died at 85 on September 3, 2008.
Pia directed Staples Players from 1968 to 1996 and continued to direct the summer plays, with the exception of last summer’s production of Les Miserables, which was dedicated to him. Born in 1923, Pia graduated Stamford High School in 1941 and became a pilot during WWII. He became director of Staples Players when Craig Matheson, who founded Players, went to work in administration.
“Al’s years with Staples Players continued and refined the excellence in theater that Craig Matheson introduced” said former English teacher Karl Decker. A plaque reading “In Honor of Albert Pia- Beloved Director of Staples Players 1968-1996” will be placed outside the Black Box Theatre.
