Ahead of their final opening weekend as high school students, seniors reflect on their growth and experience in the innovative program
It’s crunch time for Burlington Township High School’s theater students, who for the past four months have worked diligently to write, cast, direct and — finally — perform 20 original plays Nov. 18–19 at the 2017 Festival of New Plays.
In the case of Mira Desai and Jocelyn Reuben, who co-created plays “Fumble” and “Let’s Settle,” this endeavor has meant many a late-night FaceTime call.
“It’s 3 a.m., half awake, just bouncing ideas off each other,” Dasai said. “Ask anyone, I was such a shy kid when I started. I didn’t talk and I was so nervous about everything. In the theater program, I found something that I really love and kind of found my place in high school, and I’m very grateful for it.”
Joe Farina, head teacher of visual and performing arts for Burlington Township Schools and director of the theater and cinema studies programs, is in his 15th year working at the district, where four years ago he helped usher in the Festival of New Plays. The program, which involves about 50 cast members and 35 stage crew, was created so more students can actively participate in school theater.
“In the theater, you really learn by doing. At most high schools, a lot of students will be limited to being in the chorus of a musical once a year,” Farina said. “These plays give an opportunity to everyone to participate in some way. They all have a character developed, and in some cases they’re in three or four plays. It gives them a chance to expand the skills that they’re learning in theater class.”
Over the course of two nights, audiences have a chance to take in all-original work by current students and alumni, who explore subjects from relationships to race. Each of the 20 plays runs about 10 minutes.
Farina added that while creating performances from scratch can be complicated, it’s also very exciting. The project allows students to venture beyond musical theater, incorporating playwriting, improv, directing and performance.
“I have a real passion for what I do. I have a particularly great group of seniors and leaders in this particular graduating class, so the fact that they have really owned the program, you’ll hear that excitement,” he said. “We treat them like professionals. These are fully formed ideas, and to see them come to life onstage is really significant.”
The passion of those seniors is certainly evident in practice, where they lose themselves in the scenes they took from rough concepts to works of contemporary theater. Most have participated in theater to some extent since their freshman year.
“We had those senior playwrights that we always looked up to [as underclassmen], so it’s kind of coming around full circle,” senior Jake Moscovitz said.
By collaborating with friend and fellow thespian Charlie Nicolini, Moscovitz feels he has come into himself as an actor and writer. Their plays, “Apartment Fourteen” and “Maelstrom,” experiment with drama and comedy.
“When we write, we both bring different things, and it’s not that we’re opposites. It’s just that we’ve always approached things differently. I can kind of focus what he’s trying to say and make it adaptable to each character,” Moscovitz explained.
As for Rueben, who also wrote “Fried Chicken and Quiche” independently, the program helped her realize her acting capability and better understand what it means to be an artist.
“When we were debating [in class] what an artist’s role is in modern civilization, my answer was, ‘It’s our job to expose everything that people try to sweep under the rug. Our job as artists is to burn the rug,’” Rueben said. “I feel like that’s what my goal was with my play, where I tackle race and class, which I’m definitely passionate about.”
The first 10 plays premiere Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and the remaining 10 on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. A second showing runs Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. both days. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults and free for seniors with a gold card.
To request tickets, email tickets@burltwpsch.org.
