Spotlight New Jersey: Soulful pop and Christian musician Natalie Alese

Spotlight New Jersey: Central Ward Cougars celebrates 40th anniversary

Spotlight New Jersey: Pluckemin Presbyterian Church

Spotlight New Jersey: Ms. New Jersey Senior America 2025

Spotlight New Jersey: Vocalist Carrie Jackson

Spotlight New Jersey: À La Mode club at Watchung Hills Regional High School

newjersey

News 12 Staff

920spotlightnj2_2025-09-20-09-19-15

These three beautiful thespians are with the Raritan High School drama program in Hazlet. Melanie Taylor is the drama and journalism teacher. She has 2 students with her, and I want you to say your names for me so they come out properly. Go ahead. I'm Roland Geweiler. My name is Kara Guela. How did you all enjoy that trip to Scotland? It was just a blast. There was so many things to do, shows to see. We went to uh uh the military tattoo, which it's kind of hard to explain, but it's like a marching band thing I guess. It was so wonderful. It was a lot of our first time a lot for a lot of us it was our first time out of the country for I know it was, yes, so for that to be my first experience, it meant a lot, especially with how much theater has meant to me and to be in an area with everybody who shares the same passion as you was really something that was pretty incredible. Did you all meet a lot of people from around the world? We, we were staying at Edinburgh University and. Most people, I think everybody on the trip that was there for American High School Theater Festival was in that same area, so we got to meet a lot of people and we have a lot of people social so we still are like in lose contact with them. And it's really awesome to you know you know how many people enjoy theater, but it's so awesome to see in person the numbers and it's really wonderful. The fact that you share that global passion, go ahead. Yes, we met people from all around the not just the states, but I remember people meeting people performing they're from like Australia coming to Edinburgh for the festival and uh. People from Canada and it's like just everywhere around the world you meet people coming there to do the same thing as you, and it was really great and you have a souvenir in that shirt that you picked up there. Yes, there was um a chain vintage store there and I got this shirt. And I got so many pieces of black clothing there because I love fashion and I love vintage clothes. So I got this shirt and I also got this belt and so I, yeah, that was awesome. Look good. Roland, you are into TV production at the school. Yes. Um, It's very, uh, it's kind of goes in hand with drama because they make you go in front of the camera to perform the uh. Like the things that you write and act out, but there's also some other branches of the TV production that are more like, uh, broadcasting and we do like a morning announcements every day at school and it's like we record it live and then play it for people, uh. During, uh, after our second class, what do you want to do when you graduate? Um, Truthfully, um, I wanna be into chemistry like a chemist, um. But just all the skills I picked up from drama Club will still help me in there like thinking on my feet from all of the improvisation and if something goes wrong during a show that helps you think on your feet, you need that in anything you do. This was Roland's first performance ever. He was never on stage before his international debut.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/f4ba9499-96f6-46eb-8320-bfa9d7d561b4/f4ba9499-96f6-46eb-8320-bfa9d7d561b4.transcribe

920spotlightnj3_2025-09-20-12-37-19

So There's a body in the rose garden. 27. What? A body? A human body. Now look what you've done. Now we have to start from scratch. That's it. You are no longer number one page boy. You're fired. You, congratulations. You're now. What's this, sir, a body, sir. We'll clean it up. Suppose Princess I know drop by. Sir, the body appears to be alive, sir. Stop shouting. Where's the other page boy? He may have been brainless, but at least he was quiet. We don't just. there get this drunken oath out of my garden. These are thespians at Raritan High School drama program in Hazlet, and one of the actresses there is here in studio. Which one are you? My name is Olivia Manna and your name is um Andrew Pummerejo. And they are joining their teacher here, Melanie Taylor, to talk about that performance after going to Scotland. What was that like? Fantastic. It was um very interesting to be somewhere other than home, um, and so far away, so like different whole international, you know, it's, it's a lot, but it was really fun. And again that was the first time you've been out of the country. Did you all meet a lot of people over there too from around the world? Yeah, I am still in contact with so many people. I talked with one of the girls I met in Scotland. I was just talking with her yesterday. I was telling her that we're gonna be on here and she was like, Oh, give me a shout out and I was like, yeah, sure, but just like I will never forget like the experience we had. It was so. Insane just that we had the opportunity to do it and that we were supported by our school and by our district and that Ms. Taylor brought us and that we got to have that shared experience. I was going to say, did you see the passion that you all share worldwide as SB? Definitely. Yeah. Why did you all get into this acting? Since I was like really young, um, it was always just something that I enjoyed doing, especially getting to know other people and then now doing it at high school it's like now I get to know more people and it definitely helps to boost your confidence and makes you comfortable with teamwork. And what do you like about the program at the school? I love the opportunity to show what you're good at but also show how you can uplift other people whether it's a small role where you're in the background or if you're the lead for the entire show, you have such an important job. Production, even if you're not on stage, even if you're backstage, you have such an important role that it really is a team effort that if one person is missing, it will fall apart and it builds trust and it makes you feel more comfortable in yourself and it really is just something that I think has made me who I am and has made me confident has made me. Feel sure in who I am and what my abilities are. Tomorrow at 6 a.m. we'll continue our conversation about the Raritan High School drama program performing in Scotland.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/86ffb87d-352a-40c5-a061-b8e28203b263/86ffb87d-352a-40c5-a061-b8e28203b263.transcribe

921spotlightnj4_2025-09-21-09-15-38

You're in love with me. I know you're in love with me. Everybody is in love with me. If we could somehow form a relationship based on a foundation of no physical attraction whatsoever, then perhaps I could speak to you. But obviously you are too immersed. codependent neediness to mistakenly label love to allow me to share my inner feelings and thoughts intimately with you. So please don't talk to me. She is really good, so animated. She's with the Raritan High School drama program. They went to Scotland. We have 2 more students joining us right now. Go ahead and tell us your names. Uh, I'm Ash Rivera. I'm Luanne. What was that like for you all being in Scotland? Did you love it too? Oh, it was a great experience. It was my first time ever out of the country, and it was so adventurous. I had a great time. You do, yeah, it was, it wasn't my first time out of the country. It's my second time, but it was my first time being like farther than Canada and it was very much a cultural experience for me. The people you met, your fellow thespians. What was that like? It was amazing getting to interact with people with similar interests as you. I met like really sweet girl from Vermont, and we're still talking to this day, and I thought it was like so cool to meet people who are just like just like you and want to perform like you and want to have that passion like you. It's really nice. I, um, it was like very nice meeting other people and I met this kid and we don't talk anymore because we forgot to exchange information because we were just like in the moment with each other like just sharing like how excited we were to be on it what happened on stage what happened backstage and just overall in general like we were just too like in tune with each other to remember to exchange information so we sadly don't talk anymore. Yeah, but in social media you'll find each other. What does acting do for each of you? Like I know this field brings out a side of me and a gift in me. Do you feel the same way? I agree totally. Acting is definitely like a part of what I want to be. I'm totally like a performer at heart and like acting is something that I want to take into my life and it's something that I'm really passionate about and it's really just like who I am, makes me confident, makes me happy. Same thing, yeah, I've always been an eccentric little kid, but yeah, but as I got older I kind of went into a shell and then acting helped bring me back out of that shell and bring me back to who I used to be. What do you see yourselves doing with this gift? Definitely I want to take it into performing in my life. I love singing and being on stage. That's what I want to do with my career. I love acting. I want to be on camera. I love doing all that stuff. That's what I want to do with my life. I also wanna act, but I don't want it's like not my main aspiration. My main aspiration is to be an artist, but what I've learned here like uh being a people is to be a people person and that's what you need to be in life be a people person, how to talk, how to like think on your feet and stuff like that.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/d90a7ce2-995e-4523-add4-41750a042741/d90a7ce2-995e-4523-add4-41750a042741.transcribe

921spotlightnj5_2025-09-21-09-22-27

We are chatting with people from Raritan High School. The drama program there in Hazlet. Doctor Andrew Petrosky is joining us. He's the principal. Kiada is back with us. Did I say it right? Say it again. Beautiful. I love her name. I wanted to make sure I get it right. And of course Melanie Taylor is the teacher. Let's talk about you have some pictures, 8 pictures you sent of various activities and things. Tell me about that. We have been doing theater. I came to the high school in 1998. From a little bit of a New York theatrical career and teaching for a while and the program was small. There were 2 classes and about 20 kids in the club, so over the last 28 years we've really exploded and done a variety of different shows and I'm really glad the club has over 50 kids involved and we have a lot of tech and our district is wonderful. They support the arts tremendously. Doctor Petrowski, our Doctor Ridley, our superintendent, and our board of education are supportive of everything we do. Tell us about. Yeah, you know what I really enjoyed was the process here, um, working with Ms. Taylor, uh, last year or 2 years ago, our band was selected to perform in the 80th commemoration of D-Day, um, so we, we took a large group there, um, and Ms. Taylor came to us and said that they were selected and we just hit the ground running, uh, from working with alumni and Ms. Taylor and all of our graduates. It was just the process was wonderful and you had a thought and you wanted to continue in this segment. I just think that it's important. That the arts are so I think the arts are so important and the fact that the school supports them so much is so important to me it really helps people connect drama club is truly like a family uh one of my friends, we became closer because of drama club we had started to drift at the beginning of high school because we were in. Two different realms and then she joined it was so lovely to be able to spend that time and I think it's so important and it's such an outlet art is so important and I think arts is definitely important. We know a lot of schools say sports is big too, not to take anything away from them. Why do you all put so much emphasis on the arts? Yeah, I, I can take that, you know, I just, for us, we give the opportunity to kids shine in what they, what they love and they're passionate about, um, from we have an aviation program, um, only two in Monmouth County where kids can learn how to fly planes, um, yeah, we have that, uh, we have an early college academy where students are graduating, uh, with associate's degree before they receive their their high school diploma. Um, we have a. Arts Academy led by Ms. Taylor and these wonderful students that had an opportunity to go to the largest festival in the world and so we pride ourselves on the opportunity that we give our kids and like Ms. Taylor mentioned, our board of education, our superintendent of schools, they just they support us and when they support us, it's an opportunity for us to shine and give kids experiences that they may not have, not locally or even in the country but also in in. And internationally, so they can talk about this 50 years from now and they're gonna say, I went to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival. I marched in the 80th commemoration of D-Day, and that's what's passionate and as a principal and working with tremendous staff, it's an opportunity that I will always remember these kids, these kids have an experience that they'll they'll talk about forever. To be able to say that I performed at the Fringe at 16 years old is something I think I'll always cherish.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/ad2a4b04-c4fe-4052-aa2d-5064c5455b06/ad2a4b04-c4fe-4052-aa2d-5064c5455b06.transcribe

921spotlightnj6_2025-09-21-12-17-53

realize what this means. No more taxes, no more trade negotiations. I'll have all the gold I could ever want. I'm rich, richer, richest man in the universe. Oh Airport. Yes, Your Majesty, please take care. Golden Blades of grass. This young lady is so talented. Melanie Taylor is the drama and journalism teacher at Raritan High School, the drama program. Tell us all about it. This is your passion. This is, um, the students that I've had the opportunity and been blessed to work with over the years, my alumni come back and work with us. We have. Brook Gans, who is now teaching in a different district, she was with us every step of the way in planning and getting this up and running, and I couldn't have done the trip without her or the support of Doctor Petrosky and our other teachers in the school. Kyle Santa Padre has been my tech director since he graduated in 2014. We have the student who is a graduate in 2001 who. Donated a sizable amount to the program to help us get to Scotland. They love to come back. I love having them. Theater is about the connection with the kids. It helps them be who they are. It helps them build confidence and it helps them know it's OK to be who they are at the same time and seeing the success stories that have come out of this program, what is ahead for this year? We are doing two plays, well, a fall play and a spring musical. That's our season. Our fall play is Clue based on the movie and the board game, and our musical is The Wizard of Oz. So we're opening that up to the entire district. So we'll have elementary students playing Munchkins and all the other different characters in the show. We like to make it a true community production. How much work goes into putting these productions on and what help do you need from. The community we need people to come see the shows, which is wonderful when people come and support us. It's a lot. It does truly take a village. We have a production staff of 4 people that put everything on in the spring and in the fall it's just 2 of us so there's myself and Kyle. We also have Jared Mills who is a former student and now teaching at the high school. He helps us out with the productions as well and everybody wishes. us good luck and comes in whether it's swinging a hammer or helping to sew a costume or being involved in any way and when you look at all that's been accomplished through this program, how do you feel about it? I'm blessed. I look back and I see people that I saw grow from the time they were young children into successful and tremendous adults. I just want them to be happy, successful and fulfilled, and I hope that the drama club makes them feel welcome. Melanie's assistant, Brooke Gans is in this group photo. She's one of the people, as she mentioned that she works with behind the scenes. This picture was taken while the drama club was sightseeing in London before heading off to Scotland.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/b00630e1-ab66-454d-b328-16917443d60a/b00630e1-ab66-454d-b328-16917443d60a.transcribe

News 12’s Della Crews spoke to drama and journalism teacher Melanie Taylor about the club’s experience.

Local

Crime

Weather

beWell

The East End

Crime Files

Local

Crime

Weather

beWell

The East End

Crime Files

Main

News

Sections

Choose Your Region

Be the first to know

Main

News

Sections

Change

Be the first to know

More Stories

More from News 12

Day 2 of rail service changes underway as bigger commuter test arrives tomorrow

Milder conditions this week will lead to snowmelt across NJ

Toll of Commuting: What you need to know about the Portal Bridge changes

Community rallies with fundraisers after fire devastates Hopatcong animal shelter

'It's been really hard, it's really bad,' Family of Isabella Salas speaks out for first time since fatal hit-and-run

From Silk City to studio city: Content creation studio coming to Paterson

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Ad Choices

Privacy Manager