Suzanne Sweeney — Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect

In just over a month, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) drama students will be setting the stage at New York University’s (NYU) Forum on Educational Theater (FOET) to bring awareness to teen harassment and bullying in an production dubbed The Bystander: A portrait of Apathy.

Bystander was written by RFH English teacher Suzanne Sweeney, who is also the high school’s drama director.

With the performance slated for April 24, the students are not only the performers, but the producers of the narrative short drama with a message.

The above YouTube video gives a glimpse into what’s coming at NYU.

The RFH students performing in The Bystander are: Gianna Casale, Vaughn Coleman, Emily Cooner, William Dey, Matthew Hughes, Jeremy Nives, Jane Pavluk, Eli Rallo, Paige Russo, Lisa Sandoli, Ben Segall, Kelli Tuttle, and Alissa Zack.

The student directors are Gianna Casale, Eli Rallo, and Alissa Zack.

It’s curtain up on the 10th Annual Basie Awards on Wednesday and Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School’s (RFH) directors, actors, musicians and techies have already gotten a standing ovation in nominations.

Among its 11 nominations, RFH is up for Outstanding Overall Production in both the Drama and Musical categories for its Miracle on 34th Street and Young Frankenstein. In the acting categories, senior Julia Mosby also garnered nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in both the drama and musical categories for her roles in Miracle on 34th Street and Young Frankenstein.

RFH was also nominated for:

• Outstanding Set/Scenic Design in a Drama, Miracle on 34th Street, Matthew Leddin;

• Outstanding Lighting Design in a Drama, Miracle on 34th Street, Matthew Leddin;

• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama, Julia Mosby, Miracle on 34th Street;

• Outstanding Direction in a Drama, Suzanne Sweeney, Miracle on 34th Street;

• Outstanding Overall Production – Drama, Miracle on 34th Street, Suzanne Sweeney;

• Outstanding Set/Scenic Design in a Musical, Young Frankenstein, Matthew Leddin;

• Outstanding Lighting Design in a Musical, Young Frankenstein, Matthew Leddin;

• Outstanding Student/Adult Orchestra, Young Frankenstein, Vincent Mottern;

• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical, Julia Mosby, Young Frankenstein;

• Outstanding Direction in a Musical, Suzanne Sweeney, Young Frankenstein;

• Outstanding Overall Musical Production, Suzanne Sweeney, Young Frankenstein.

Since 2005, the Basie Awards have served as a means to honor excellence in Monmouth County high school productions and performances.

The 2015 awards will be presented at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank on Wednesday night.

The three Count Basie Theatre Arts Impacts scholarships to be awarded to “high school seniors whose life, academic and career choice has been impacted by the arts” will also be announced at the ceremony: the Monmouth Medical Center/Barnabas Health Arts Impact Scholarship, the Monmouth County Freeholders’ Basie Scholarship for Continuing Education and the Moser-Taboada Arts Impact Scholarship.

For the full list of this year’s Basie Awards nominations, click here.

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