Woodstown High School wins first Papermill Playhouse Rising Star Award

Colin Schmidt, a junior at Woodstown High School, won the 2024 Papermill Play House Rising Star Award in Student Achievement for his work as the stage manager of Woodstown's "Brigadoon." This is the first award from Papermill taken by a Woodstown student.

WOODSTOWN — It's a first for the Wolverines!

Colin Schmidt, 17, a junior at Woodstown High School, was honored with the Student Achievement Award from the Papermill Playhouse Rising Star Awards — which honors the best in high school theatre each year.

Schmidt served as the stage manager for this season's spring musical "BRIGADOON."

During the course of the production, Schmidt oversaw multiple processes associated with the musical, including auditions, pre-production, rehearsals, set construction and painting, lighting, and sound design. He also oversaw the technical crew team, made entirely of students, who ran each performance from 'curtain up' to 'curtain call.'

The event was held Tuesday, June 11. Schmidt was one of 10 recipients of the award, of which 20 students from across the Garden State were nominated.

The Papermill Playhouse Rising Star Awards were founded in 1996 "to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of New Jersey high school musicals." 

The Rising Star Awards is a New Jersey statewide high school recognition program and has been replicated in several regions nationwide with Paper Mill Playhouse’s assistance.

It is the most prestigious award an N.J. high school student involved in their theatre program can receive.

Woodstown High School's theatre department has been operating non-stop since the late 1800s. The program celebrated the100th anniversary since the first musical performed at WHS, "ALL AT SEA," an operetta produced in 1924. This year, the program also celebrate 40 years of continuous production of musicals on the WHS stage, the first being "BABES IN ARMS" in 1984.

The Woodstown Theatre Department 2024 season featured the fall play "Little Women," and the junior musical "Snow White Musicapalooza" in addition to "Brigadoon."

Schmidt is expected to return to stage manage in the 2024-2025 academic year for next season's spring musical which has not yet been announced.

Congrats Colin!!

Charlotte's Web premiers at Blue Moon Theatre this weekend!

Sam Williams (Wilbur), Alair Diremigio (E.B. White) and Hannah Lee DeFrates in a scene from "Charlotte's Web" at the Blue Moon Theatre (Woodstown Opera House) this weekend and next, 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 16. Tickets are $20.

WOODSTOWN — "Charlotte's Web" is coming to the Blue Moon Theatre (Woodstown Opera House) this weekend and next at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 16. Click here for tickets. 

Since it was published in 1952 "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White has been enjoyed by readers of all ages. It has cemented itself as a classic of children's literature and is credited as the best selling children's paperback of all time. The Blue Moon Theatre will bring this story to life on stage in an adaption written by Joseph Robinette.

The play tells the familiar story of Wilbur, a runt pig rescued by a little girl named Fern and adopted by Fern's aunt and uncle, the Zuckermans, who raise him on their farm. While living on the farm Wilbur meets several barnyard friends including geese, sheep, a cynical rat named Templeton, and a motherly spider named Charlotte. In an effort to save Wilbur from being slaughtered Charlotte begins spinning words praising Wilbur into her webs which causes him to be labeled a miracle. This fame brings Wilbur all the way to the county fair but will Wilbur be able to stand on his own without help from Charlotte?

Jim Cook Jr. directs the production and reimagines the story in a completely original way. Rather than just telling the classic story of Wilbur, Fern, and Charlotte as written by E.B. White and adapted by Joseph Robinette, Cook combines this tale with the story of White's life. 

White becomes his own character writing his novel and narrating the play as it occurs before the audience's eyes. On the topic of this story and his vision Cook says "This production may look a little different than the other productions of Charlotte's Web. To read and experience Charlotte's Web as an adult is to experience it as a child times 1,000. Children are undoubtedly precocious more times than not and can understand the cathartic moments of the book. But, as an adult, having lived those moments the hope for survival, even if just for a day, between the aging Charlotte and the young Wilbur, is all the more amplified and emotionally meaningful. More than that, however, we wanted to explore the author as told through the eyes of our narrator: E. B. White. He lived two different lives: a simple one at his farm in Brooklyn, Maine, and a sophisticated one as a writer for the literary magazine The New Yorker. Audiences will see White's Maine life with hints to The New Yorker peppered through this production. This production, like the book, is not only for children - it's for everyone. We hope to convey a bit of that."

In addition to direction, Jim Cook Jr., along with Maria Cook, are responsible for prop and scenic design. Maria Cook is also the stage manager for the production. Costume design is by Masquerade Ball, lighting design is by Jolee Farah, and sound design is by Mike Russell. The production stars Alair Diremigio (E.B. White/Lurvy), Sam Williams (Wilbur), Hannah Lee DeFrates (Charlotte), Cadence 'Cadey' Laning (Fern Arable), Ariel Johnson (Martha Arable), Joseph DiBella (Avery Arable), Jon Laning (Homer Zuckerman), Lori Thompson (Edith Zuckerman), Jim Cook Jr. (John Arable), Brady Thompson (Templeton), Donna Laning (Goose), Charlie Lai (Gander), Crit Olmos (Sheep), Sophia Shipman (Lamb), and Gabriel Vereen (Announcer, Uncle, Reporter).

The show is being produced at The Blue Moon Theatre with a special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service. Charlotte's Web opens June 7, 2024 and runs two weekends with evening performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm and a special matinee performance at 2:00pm on June 16, 2024 for the final performance. 

Woodstown selects student directors for 2024 fall play

Virginia (Ginny) Messick, a junior at Woodstown High School, performed as Meg Brockie in "Brigadoon" in March 2024. Messick will co-directed the annual Fall Play next season (her senior year) with Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hitchner.

WOODSTOWN — The Woodstown High School Drama Club has announced the student directors for next year's Fall Play: Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hitchner and Virginia (Ginny) Messick. This long-standing and time honored tradition, dating back more than a century, is a top honor for students in Woodstown's theatre department.

Hitchner and Messick were both last seen on stage in this season's "BRIGADOON" at Woodstown High. Hitchner played the scorned lover Jane Ashton who lost her man to the miracle-village of Brigadoon, and Messick played the fabulous Meg Brockie who had a big heart and could tell any story in song. They both received many ovations and great praise at this year's performances, and will surely bring great pride to our beloved high school.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hitchner, a junior at Woodstown High School, pictured center, performed as Jane Ashton in "Brigadoon" in March 2024. She'll co-direct the annual Fall Play next season (her senior year) with Virginia (Ginny) Messick.

Messick and Hitchner will collaborate with Ms. Stephanie Hill, the school's advisor to the Fall Play, to choose next year's show. Now a faculty advisor, Hill is also an alumni of the Woodstown Drama Club, having performed there during the late 1990s.

Which show will they choose? We'll see! The selection is typically revealed over the summer. Performance dates have not yet been announced, but are usually around November or early December.

The tradition of student-directed plays at Woodstown High School dates back more than a century, with yearbook records indicating students directing their Junior and Senior plays as far back as the 1920s, and, though unconfirmed, the tradition may have started in the late mid-to-late 1800s with the founding of Woodstown Public School and the Woodstown Opera House.

Student direction of a play at Woodstown has been a tradition for many years. Pictured here: Dwayne Bell, Donna McAllister, and Bob Quattlebaum collaborate on the production of "GHOST OF A CHANCE" at Woodstown High School in 1968.

Interesting bit of history for the alumni: The last advisor to the student directed plays prior to English/Communications Instructor Paul Kranz reviving the tradition in the 2000s, was Ms. Barbara K. Ohmott. Ohmott was an English instructor at Woodstown High who went on to become the well-remembered and beloved principal at Mary S. Shoemaker Elementary School from 1986 to 1998. She was the advisor to the student-directed plays during the late 1970s until 1983, her last production being "The Curious Savage." 

Student-directed plays were sporadic during the 1990s, but resumed in 2004 with "Harvey" directed by Corey Frank. The following year, I (Jim Cook) directed "A Christmas Carol," and it has become an annual tradition, providing students — some who many not want to be in a musical — an opportunity to explore diverse ranges of drama and comedy.

A list of every student-directed play, and all other past shows produced at Woodstown, can be found at The Great List.

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Want to share your Woodstown-Pilesgrove news in the Crier Column? Email Jim Cook at WoodstownCrier@gmail.com

Woodstown alumni from 1994 and 2009 reunite to celebrate the new class of Brigadoon

Brigadoon alumni from the casts of 1994 and 2009 returned home to see the new 2024 production at Woodstown High School. A reception was hosted by director and choreograph Paul and Claudia Kranz prior to the performance (group photo on top). The photo at the bottom shows all three casts after the Friday, March 8 performance.

It was a Brigadoon reunion for the ages.

Woodstown High School alumni from the 1990s and late 2000s assembled at the North Main St. residence of Paul and Claudia Kranz for the "Brigadunion," an event to commemorate the past productions of the musical "Brigadoon" on the Woodstown stage and celebrate the 2024 production by today's students. 

For a little background, Woodstown High School Drama Club has produced the musical "Brigadoon" twice before 2024. It is produced in 15-year intervals. The casts and creative teams of the past "Brigadoons" assembled, had a wonderful time together, and spent the evening at the high school watching the current class of students perform the same musical. 

The school repeats this musical for a variety of reasons: first and foremost, because the story follows two hunters who stumble upon a mystical village in Scotland that only appears for one day every 100 years. More so, the musical is full of universal, timeless themes of true love, being true to one's self, kindness, compassion, and pride and togetherness in a small community which resonate with any generation of students.

Brigadoon alumni from the casts of 1994 and 2009 returned home to see the new 2024 production at Woodstown High School. A reception was hosted by director and choreographer Paul and Claudia Kranz prior to the Friday and Saturday performances (group photo on top). The photo at the bottom shows all three casts and crews after the Saturday, March 8 performance.

A massive thank you to Paul and Claudia Kranz for their hard work in reaching out to our alumni, arranging for their return to Woodstown, cooking a huge spread for Friday's dinner, then staying up after the Friday night show to prepare for Saturday's brunch. 

Their home was decorated spectacularly with the tartans of the different family names featured in Brigadoon — the same names rapidly rattled off by Brannagh Rattigan and Virginia Messick as Meg Brockie in the second act, and enjoyed by our returning Meg Brockies — Amy Probasco-Kennedy (1994) and Mary Gismonde (2009) — who were both in the audience. 

There was a Christmas tree of family tartans, a chandelier of family tartans, bushels of heather, and memorabilia and photos from the prior production

Alumni traveled from as far as Hawaii, Texas, Maine, Washington D.C., and many other places all over the United States to rejoin their fellow cast and crew-mates in Woodstown and Brigadoon.

Meeting and catching up with our alumni sent a true thrill backstage. When I told the students the alumni were pouring into the audience in droves, everyone was jolted with kinetic and contagious enthusiasm. 

2024 Director Shannon Sheridan (who also music directed the 2009 production) and 1994/2009 Director Paul Kranz share an embrace during the pre-show ceremonies prior to Friday's performance, among the 2024 cast of Brigadoon and the Woodstown alumni who performed in the same show in 1994 and 2009.

Prior to each performance, the Drama Club assembles outdoors to warm-up their vocal chords and participate in certain pre-show traditions which have been passed down for decades. 

At the Friday and Saturday performances, all alumni were invited outside to join the cast before the show to participate in their old traditions (and many of the news one). We've never had a more rousing "Modern Major General" — the lyrics of which are spoken by a senior, then repeated by the cast as a way to open up the vocal chords and practice good diction. Chris Tighe, our Charlie Dalrymple, led the tradition perfectly and all students, crew, staff, and alumni joined in.

Alumni and packed audiences gave the 2024 students a standing ovation for what will be remembered as one of the most enjoyable and riveting experiences in Woodstown Drama Club history. It was a tremendous honor as Town Crier to meet the 1990s alumni, catch-up with old friends from the 2000s, and welcome Woodstown home. 

I'd go as far to write that it was even more special than, say, a high school reunion, because, instead of assembling to celebrate having simply graduated together, everyone assembled to celebrate what they made together and can still enjoy being made by the next generation of Woodstown students: good theatre.

Learn more about Woodstown's theatre department and efforts to enhance theatre education and production in Woodstown schools, at The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown.

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Do you have Woodstown-Pilesgrove news to share? Email your Town Crier, Jim Cook at WoodstownCrier@gmail.com

Woodstown High School Drama Club celebrates 100 years of musical theatre from ''All At Sea' to Brigadoon'

Backstage (stage left dressing room) students of the WHS Drama Club began cataloging every show the high school had produced. Though at times incorrect (see 80s and early 90s), these students have continued this tradition for more than 20 years. In 2024, damage to the wall containing the Great List was repaired with plaster and much of the list was covered up. A new effort by the Curtain Call Club will preserve the Great List -- but going back more than a century.

CLICK HERE FOR
'THE GREAT LIST'

(Note: "Woodstown Theatre Department" refers to the Woodstown High School Drama Club and Woodstown Middle School Drama Club, which as of 2024 produces a Fall Play, Spring Musical, and Junior Musical each academic year. In the past, the Theatre Department operated under different names and produced a Junior Play, Senior Play, Junior-Senior Play, Drama Club showcase, and, at times, an Operetta.) 

Hear ye, hear ye! O yez, o yez!

As a proud Woodstown High School Drama Club alumni, I am always eager to learn about the storied history of the Club I got to perform in from 2002-2006.

Did you know the first 'musical' at Woodstown High School was performed 100 year ago?! Let's take a step back in time ...

In 2003, an effort was begun by Drama Club students to list every musical since the 1980s backstage on the backstage wall. From the late 80s until the late 2000s, the backstage area was full of signatures and messages from members of the Theatre Department (High & Middle School Drama clubs). It was called "The Great List."

These messages ranged from silly and bawdy to cathartic and inspiring. Sadly, most of these message have been painted over due to regulations and repairs, but the dressing room writings remain in tact.

"The Great List," however, was born out of an interest in the High School Drama Club's history. Anyone who's been part of the Drama Club in the past 40 years knows the group is laden with traditions — from reciting "Modern Major General," to shouting a line from the show before each performance, to singing the "Senior Song" at the final cast party (to name a few), the Drama Club is rich with history.

Cut to: In 2024, I announced I would be creating a booster club to support the Theatre Department by reviving The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown — a group started in 1934 by Woodstown alumni performers who fundraised a scholarship for Woodstown students during the Great Depression. They went on to operate the Woodstown Opera House until May 1964. The new Curtain Call Club will support the Woodstown Theatre Department by providing, in the function of a Booster Club, accessible funds to the Drama Clubs, fundraising, educational enrichment, and legacy (history) preservation.

Building a Booster Club takes a lot of time and money, and I'm still working hard on getting it all together — but it's coming along, and A LOT of progress has been made. My goal is to have the Curtain Call Club incorporated by Summer 2024, ready to fundraise in the 2024-2025 academic year, and able to fully fund the Theatre Department by 2025-2026.

In the process of building the Curtain Call Club, I have been doing considerable research into the Theatre Department at Woodstown High, and found incredible resources in our past yearbooks at the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Library, Woodstown-Pilesgrove Historical Society, and the Woodstown High School Library. 

Since the backstage Great List was partially covered over in 2024 due to damage to the backstage wall, I've decided to create a virtual "Great List," honoring the tradition that was started my Freshman year, and providing a glimpse at every show ever produced on the Woodstown High School stage. This interactive catalogue will grow over time with cast lists, photos, and more from Woodstown productions of the 1920s to today.

Damage to the wall containing the Great List required a plaster repair that covered part of the writing.

One of the great discoveries I found was that 'musical theatre' (as we call it today) was first introduced to Woodstown High School in 1924 with the founding of the Woodstown Music Club. The Music Club was first organized in December 1922 with the mission to "promote better music, social welfare, and scholastic standards not only in our school, town and county, but wherever it may be demanded. The world or nation today is in need of proper music as it is in need of proper literature," as described by the Woodstown 1923 Yearbook, the "Susan Tatler."

This group began by producing a musical showcase in 1923 created by students and faculty called "Princess Chrysanthemum." It was a fundraiser to support the Woodstown Radio Club (which I'm still researching).

The success of the 1923 showcase led to the production of a full-scale operetta the following year titled: "All At Sea" featuring music by Gilbert and Sullivan. This operetta was the first of its kind at Woodstown High School, as operettas were the precursor to musical theatre. Music was accompanied by the Woodstown High School Orchestra. The production played February 14 and 15, 1924.

Thus, we can safely say the Woodstown Music Club introduced musical theatre to the high school 100 years ago.

The Cast and Creative Team of ALL AT SEA, the first operetta produced by the Woodstown Music Club at Woodstown High School, February 14 and 15, 1924.

For the 100th anniversary, we are producing "Brigadoon," a musical about a village in Scotland that only appears out of the mist for one day every 100 years. We've also made it a tradition, in the spirit of Brigadoon, to produce it every 15 years — the first two being in 1994 and 2009.

As for the Woodstown Music Club, they existed until the late-1920s, producing operettas, until the Theatre Department produced solely Junior and Senior Class plays. Modern musicals, as we know them today, were introduced by the Drama Club in 1984 with "Babes in Arms." Thus, "Brigadoon" marks the 41st consecutive musical produced at Woodstown High School — how exciting!

If you attend a performance of "Brigadoon" this March, be sure to visit me representing the Curtain Call Club in the lobby to learn more about "All At Sea" and the history of our Theatre Department — and how you can help contribute to the lasting success of our Theatre Department through support of the Curtain Call Club.

Performances of "Brigadoon" run Feb 29 (3:30 p.m.), March 1, 2, 7, 8 (7 p.m.) and March 9 (2 p.m.). All performances are at Woodstown High School , 140 East Ave. Woodstown, N.J. 08098.

For tickets, visit www.whsdrama.org (or click the link). 

For more about The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown, visit www.CurtainCallClub.org (or click the link)

The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown returns in 2024!

The Curtain Call Club returns to Woodstown in 2024!

Hear ye, hear ye! O yez, O yez!

Greetings, dear residents of Woodstown! Gather 'round as your Crier brings you the latest dispatch from the heart of our charming town.

One of my new favorite roles in Woodstown is as the Assistant Director of this year's high school musical, Brigadoon. The story follows two hunters in the highlands of Scotland who come across a village that appears magically out of the mist once every 100 years.

This year, the Drama Club announced a need for a Booster Club to assist with the funding of its annual plays and musicals, and to enrich the theatre program in Woodstown's schools. This gave me the idea to revive something in our community that's been dormant for 60 years.

In the Brigadoonian spirit of revival, for the past two months, I have been working with the Drama Club to bring back The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown. 

The Curtain Call Club was founded by Woodstown alumni performers in 1934 as a way to fundraise for Woodstown High School students during the Great Depression. In the 1940s, they undertook the responsibility of renovating the Woodstown Opera House, where they operated and performed for the community until May 1964. Their performances are well remembered by those who were there to experience it, and their history remains an important part of Woodstown.

OUR TOWN
Woodstown High School, 1967
Directed by Jayne Hopkins

For the past 60 years, however, they were thought to be gone — but that was only an intermission. We are reviving The Curtain Call Club in 2024 with a newfound dedication to its roots and an enthusiastic embrace of the future. As your Town Crier, it brings me great joy to herald this revival. The new Club will be composed of parents of current students, Woodstown High School theatre alumni, and members of the community working as a booster club for the Woodstown High & Middle Schools Drama Clubs (aka. Woodstown Theatre Department). Just as the Curtain Call Club is a historic institution in Woodstown, so is our High School's Theatre Department, educating students in the performing arts and providing live entertainment to our community for more than a century.

This reimagined chapter of the Curtain Call Club is not just a return to the stage; it's a lively celebration of community, creativity, and continuity. The Club's primary mission is to fully fund productions by the  Woodstown Theatre Department, and also engage with our neighbors, enrich the minds of our youth through educational programs, and preserve the cherished legacy of our local performing arts.

To get involved with the Club, click here.

For tickets to Brigadoon (Feb. 29, Mar. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9), click here.

Theatre: Almost Maine at the Woodstown Opera House

Desiree Lara and Andrew Fralinger in a scene from "Almost, Maine"

On Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, I had the pleasure of attending the opening night performance of Almost, Maine at the Woodstown Opera House.

The play was produced by the Blue Moon Theatre, and featured a stellar cast. I would go into detail about each individual performance, but the best way to experience this play is to go in knowing as little as possible. Chances are, you'll leave the theater with joy in your heart and a smile on your face.

The play follows nine short stories that present a whimsical and heartwarming take on the concept of love and romantic relationship in its many forms. Nine couple end up in a small town called "Almost" in the state of Maine. Well, it's not quite a town, but it's home to most of the characters. There, they explore suddenly fall in and out of love, all while awaiting the arrival of the Northern Lights.

Almost, Maine was directed by Anthony Appel and features Nikoleta Barboni, Patrick Connelly, Jami Cubbler, Alair Diremigio, Andrew Fralinger, Desiree Lara, Tara Lessig, Evan Long, Nance Reeves, Angela Robb, Patrick Walton, and David Warren. It was stage managed by Dawn Zleski. 

Each of these actors beautifully navigated the emotions of falling in love, falling out of love, heartbreak, sudden love, slow love, and confusing love. Performing this play so close to Valentine's Day, and in the dead of winter (though Maine's winter seems a bit colder than ours) couldn't have been more appropriate and only enhanced the little surprises in each vignette.

I have done two shows at the Blue Moon Theatre (Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead and The Rocky Horror Show), and it's one of the best theaters in the South Jersey region. How lucky is Woodstown to have its Opera House back open?! Kudos to the Joe and Cheryl Stark, and the entire cast and crew of Almost, Maine.

Performances run Feb. 10, 16, 17 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at www.thebluemoontheatre.com