It’s safe to say that Kyla Garcia really was committed her role last month as Catherine in High Tech High School’s production “Pippin.”
The 16-year-old junior, a native of Hoboken, was called upon to play Catherine. Catherine’s duty in the circus side show that is the setting for “Pippin” was to serve as “Insectevora,” the woman who actually ate live insects for audiences.
In fact, Garcia put herself into character so much that she had to do the same thing – the teen actually ate live bugs while on stage.
“I ate crickets and meal worms,” Garcia said. “At first, it was really disgusting, but I had to do it to get the message of the show across. I wanted to get attention in the first scene, when all the acts are on the stage in the first number.”
Garcia admitted that the bugs and worms were live “when they went down” – but she didn’t want to pay too much attention to it.
“The crickets made noise and looked at you with those big eyes,” Garcia said. “As soon as I did it, I ran to the back and washed them down with water. Really, they weren’t that bad. They tasted like grass.”
That’s just one sign of the dedication that the High Tech students put into their annual productions. Last year, the Rising Star Program at the respected Paper Mill Playhouse honored the High Tech students for producing “Oz,” considered the top high school production in New Jersey.
While “Pippin” will not receive the same overall honors as “Oz,” the production still received seven Rising Star nominations, including a well-deserved nomination of Garcia as best supporting actress.
Fellow student Lazaro Marquez received a nomination for his graphic design, while the show was also nominated for lobby design, lighting design, and hair and makeup. The production is up for the Educational Impact Award, while teacher/director Alex Perez received honorable mention for his direction of the show.
The awards will be handed out June 10 at the awards presentation at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. Perez was very pleased with the amount of nominations that “Pippin” received.
“It was a very competitive year with a lot of good shows throughout the state,” Perez said. “It’s hard, because ‘Pippin’ has been done a gazillion times. It’s nice to come away with so many nominations. It’s an impressive honor. But awards are not what we’re here for. We’ve had some good years and some even better years. Each year is a different chapter. We just want to continue to create and produce quality work.”
Garcia was pleased with her nomination. “I was in complete shock,” Garcia said. “I was very surprised. It’s just amazing. I guess it’s a validation that I’m doing the right thing. This play was not as fun as ‘Oz.’ It was a dark show with a message that had to be taken seriously. It was emotional work.”
Apparently, eating the bugs caught the eyes of the Paper Mill judges.
“Since I got the nomination, those bugs never tasted so good,” said Garcia, who plans to study acting after graduating from High Tech next year. “I can’t do anything else. This is my life.”
“I’m happy that the judges took the time to recognize Kyla’s work,” Perez said. “I’m happy for her. She has been such a great talent and a great leader for us over the years.”
Vasquez, a native of West New York, said he wasn’t expecting much in terms of a nomination.
“There was initial shock,” said Vasquez, a senior. “It got me nervous. But it’s a tremendous feeling, especially because I am going to pursue this in the future as a career.”
Vasquez will attend the Art Institute of Philadelphia to study graphic design in the fall.
“If I won, it would really be an exciting thing,” Vasquez said. “It’s good to see people recognize your work, especially because you’re not on stage and not judged by performance. It’s really fun for me, because it combines every aspect of the arts and puts it into one design.”
Both Garcia and Vasquez are currently hard at work, along with Perez and a cast of other High Tech students, to bring the production of “Oz” to Off-Broadway, at the Producer’s Club Theater in July.
“If we didn’t win the Paper Mill Rising Star last year, this never would have happened,” Perez said. “It’s nice that we’ll be able to pass the torch this year. We don’t have to dress in costumes [at the awards presentation] and perform. We can just go and watch the show.”
Garcia will not bring any living creatures with her when she attends the presentation.
“I think those days are over,” Garcia said.