Theatre usually makes people think of singing, dancing, and acting. What doesn’t come to mind?

  Competition.  

 For over a decade, Team Theatre has been active at Eastern; however it still remains a mystery to those outside theatre.

  This club combines acting, singing, and public speaking in a competition between seven schools around New Jersey. There are 12 different competition categories. Each category has different rules and regulations to follow in order to compete.  

  Each piece that a participant plans on performing must be approved and fine-tuned by the coaches. Mr. Colton has been a Team Theatre coach for roughly ten years. “Mr. Colton has always been a strong foundation for our team,” said Antigone Antonakakis, a third year member of the club. “I could not think of anyone better to take on the role of head coach. His hard work and dedication to Team Theatre shows,” she said.

 The driving force that started Team Theatre, Mrs. O’Keefe, stepped down last year. This year, Mr. Curt Foy, the choreographer for the musical, has stepped in.

 “For people who do the musicals, we have only known Curt as the choreographer,” said junior Ally Mazza, “but having him as a coach for team theatre was a whole new experience. He’s brought so much motivation and positive energy to the team and wanted to see us all shine and do our best, whether we placed or not,” she said.

  Along with the coaches, the manager puts together the rosters for each weekend’s competition and assist members with their pieces. This year, the manager of the team was junior and former competitor Antigone Antonakakis.

  “Antigone was amazing at keeping everyone organized. She dealt with any obstacle in her way and always had everyone’s best interest in mind. Without her, this season wouldn’t have run smoothly,” said sophomore Jillian Bollinger.

  This year has been very successful. Underclassmen, specifically freshman, typically don’t fare as well as more experienced members. However, this year they blew everyone away. More freshman placed and won this year than ever before. Many pieces placed every competition. Wins aside, the team was also created a fun and supportive attitude.

  “This season has been by far my favorite season,” said junior Timothy Rickey. “And I feel like the team really competed as a unit this year.”

  Team theatre is more than a club. It’s a learning experience.

  Junior captain Alexandra Kauffman said Team Theatre is a great experience. “Not only do you make talented, amazing friends,” she said, “you have the opportunity to grow as a performer and achieve a higher understanding of this art.” She also said that oftentimes, the Arts are undermined.  “But at Team Theatre everyone appreciates the art of theatre in a supportive setting and all thespians have a chance to shine.”