"Anything but the PAC, anything but the PAC," she said.

But it was the PAC—Pioneer High School's Performing Arts Center—and only the PAC.

On a chilly Sunday evening, a fire sparked near a vending machine at an exterior wall of the drama building destroyed the center's sound and lighting system, but not the itch to perform.

"The show will go on," said Steve Dini, the school's drama teacher. "We'll do it in a living room if we have to."

Though much of the seating and the ceiling above the room that doubles as a cafeteria and a performing arts center is ruined, the stage and all the adjacent rooms—the kitchen, band and choir room, faculty lounge, radio station and prop room—are intact, having suffered only water and smoke damage.

"The sprinklers behind the stage area helped keep the fire in check," said Capt. Allison Cabral, spokesperson for the San Jose Fire Department. "That and an aggressive attack by the firefighters."

A five-alarm fire brought 105 firefighters to the scene, where they sliced holes in the roof to draw flames up, preventing the fire from spreading to other parts of the building or other structures on campus. Sprinklers on the stage and flame-retardant curtains that were purchased by the Glue Factory—a group of parents, faculty and staff who put on shows to raise funds to support the school's theater program—also helped to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the building and spared the stage, on which remained the set from the school's recent production of Mousetrap that ended Nov. 22.

The school's drama program, which puts on four shows each year—two by the students and two by Glue Factory—has more than 150 students and scores of loyal alumni, Dini said.

"I got 21 emails in 20 minutes from former students all over the country who have been through the program," he said. "Alumni as far away as Yale, West Point, and Notre Dame. They were ready to jump on a plane and come out to help. Some were offering to donate money."

Offers also came from nearby, said Pioneer Principal Barbara Lepiane. Local churches and other schools offered the use of their stages for any upcoming performances, and others offered to clean the hundreds of waterlogged costumes. The outpouring of support and donations from the community touched the faculty and staff of Pioneer.

"It's like in the movie It's a Wonderful Life," Dini said. "I now realize I'm the richest man in town."

Dini has resolved to rebuild the program and to not let the ruined center ruin the spirit of the kids.

"The program is not dead, it's singed," he said.

The scheduled spring production, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, has yet to be cast, and was a source of concern for some kids, about 20 to 25 of whom are seniors who would be performing in their final high school production, Dini said.

"I was really worried about the spring show," said Colin Fowler, senior.

Dini put to rest worries about future productions, continuing a touring roadshow this week that went to Simonds Elementary School. He said he knew students would respond to his reactions, so he sought to diffuse anxiety with a sense of humor.

"When I saw that Pioneer was on fire, I said, 'Please let it be Lepiane's office,'" he told his advanced drama class.

That made Lauren Grometer laugh and gave hope to the vice president of the school's drama club.

"This is like our home," she said of the arts center. "This is where my heart and soul is."