In the span of just seven years, the Hoboken High School (HHS) Drama Program has gone from non-existence to a state powerhouse.
In 1997, the program was reborn after a 12-year hiatus. Now the hard work of a tight-knit group of young actors is paying off with a series of major victories at one the state’s most prominent acting festivals, the Speech and Theater Association of New Jersey (STANJ) Actor’s Festival, held Jan. 31 at Rutgers University.
The STANJ membership is made up of persons from elementary, middle, high school, college, and professional level theater programs who are interested in acting, directing, forensics, and musical and technical theater.
At the event, where students performed short scenes, over 500 students from 25 schools participated. Categories at the festival included dramatic monologue, comedy monologue, dramatic, comedy and improvisational pairs, and scenes.
Junior Pedro Jimenez walked away with the festival’s top prize, the best actor award for his work in three different scenes.
Jimenez also won first place along with freshman Javier Nieves for best comic pair for a scene in which they played a pair of cockroaches who find themselves on an abandoned theater stage after a nuclear explosion. “It was unbelievably exciting,” said the still-beaming Jimenez about winning multiple awards. “People were crying, chanting, jumping up and down.”
He added as soon as his name was announced as the winner, he called his family in Hoboken and Puerto Rico. “They were all so happy,” he said.
Jimenez, who as been in the drama club since his freshman year, said acting has been a vehicle for him to grow as a student and person. “For many of us the drama club is our sanctuary,” said Jimenez. “No matter what’s going on at school or at home, we know we have something to look forward to after school. It’s really like big family.”
He said when his grandfather passed away during his freshman year, the drama club was a safe and supportive environment where he could redirect all of the powerful emotions he was dealing with at the time. “They were there for me when I needed them,” he said. “It’s something that I’m never going to forget.”
Other winners
Jimenez, senior Marleny Alonzo and freshman John Aviles came in fourth place in the best scene category.
They performed a scene written by Shel Silverstein called What are You Doing in There? The scene starts as an everyday comedy in which a teenage family member is spending too much time in the restroom in the morning. “What’s taking so long?” asked rushed family members outside. Most of scene is filled with funny innuendoes about what could possibly be taking so long, a common occurrence in many homes where there are too many family members for too few bathrooms.
But the end of the scene takes a tragic and dramatic turn as door opens and then teenager inside, with his back turned says, “Now, I’m finished.” When he turns around, he shows that he has slit his wrists.
“It was amazing to see the look on audience’s faces,” said Alonzo, who said it was a real challenge to switch so rapidly from comedy to tragedy. “They were shocked; people [in the audience] didn’t know whether they should clap or not. You could tell they were really affected by what they saw. [As an actor], that means a lot.”
Alonzo and senior Nicole Passenti were named as finalists in the Dramatic Pairs category for their performance from a scene from Antigone.
Gaining recognition
Shrinking state and local education budgets have lead to demising arts and drama programs, and they are often the first budgetary casualty. But in Hoboken, there has been an effort by several members of the school board including former long-term Board President David Anthony and current Director of Drama Arts Paula Ohaus to construct a viable arts program over the last few years.
The award-winning students said participating in drama has helped them develop self-confidence. They see themselves as capable of doing work that is personally satisfying and publicly acknowledged.
“When I was a freshman, I was really shy,” said Alonzo. “I would hardly ever say anything. Now when I’m on stage, or really doing anything, I feel so much more confident.”
Passenti added it is extra special to be recognized by her peers from around the state. “It’s really exciting to be around a whole bunch of kids that are doing the same thing that we’re doing,” said Passenti. “For months and months we work hard every day after school. To be recognized for that dedication is a good feeling.”
History of success
Since the theater program was reformed, the students have performed The Wiz, Fiddler on the Roof, Once on this Island, Dreamgirls, To Kill a Mocking Bird and On with the Show in front of sold-out audiences. Once on this Island won the award from Paper Mill Playhouse for Best High School Musical in 1999. Paper Mill also runs summer theater programs for high school students.
In 1998, HHS entered its first Paper Mill Playhouse competition with the production of Fiddler on the Roof and was nominated in three categories. Reny Rosado (Tevye) was nominated for Best Actor and went on to receive a scholarship to attend an intensive summer workshop at the Paper Mill.
In 1999, HHS’s production of Once on this Island won for Best Overall Musical in New Jersey at the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards. In addition, Erich Raush won for Best Musical Director and Vadim Avksentyev won for Best Lighting.
In the fall of 1999, HHS became part the “Adopt-a-School Program” sponsored by the Paper Mill Playhouse’s Educational Department.
The following spring of 2000, Dreamgirls received nominations for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Graphics. Malachy Orozco won the Best Supporting Actor category.
Last year, West Side Story, received 13 Papermill Playhouse nominations including, Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Choreography and Best Set Design. HHS has received the most nominations of any other school in the state.