Brick H.S. Drama Club Takes Top Honor At Teen Arts Fair

BRICK, NJ -- For actors and actresses, performing live -- especially a musical -- requires just as much practice and preparation as an athlete who's getting ready for a big game.

And when it was time for their equivalent of a big game, the Brick Township High School Drama Club left everything on the stage. Their reward? The top prize at the Ocean County Teen Arts Festival's Salute to Ocean County, which closed out the Teen Arts Festival this year at Ocean County College's Grunin Arts Center.

The Salute to Ocean County recognized the best in class in the various arts categories, and performances by those groups highlighted the awards ceremonies April 7. The Brick troupe, which performed a scene from its spring show, "How to Succeed in Business Without Trying," received the biggest honor of the night: the grand prize as the best of the best, which included $5,000, presented by the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation.

Cheryl Best, director and adviser of the Brick drama club, said 20 members of the 40-member cast participated in the event at OCC, performing the song "Coffee Break" from the show.

"We went with props, we went with costumes, the whole bit," she said. "There was a full house at OCC that night. We went in there and told the kids, 'Just do your best and have a really good time.' "

"It's an honor to receive this," Best said.

The prize reflects the hard work and a resurgence in the drama program at Brick High School, she said, which had been in decline. But Best, hired two years ago, said she set out to rebuild the program that in the 1980s had put on multiple shows each year under the guidance of directors Joseph Mosso and Leon Morone.

She actively recruited kids to participate, and put together a dedicated group of students who then networked with their peers, and word of mouth led to growth of the club.

Last year, the club performed "Legally Blonde." This year, in addition to the musical, the club had a fall production -- "All Because of Agatha," a mystery/comedy -- plus performed a selection from "A Christmas Carol" during the holidays, and a nursery rhyme for the fundraiser Acting for a Cause, Best said. "How to Succeed in Business Without Trying" was an ambitious offering, requiring a large cast.

But the kids spread the word, and she wound up with a cast of 40, including 15 boys, she said, who rehearsed seven days a week leading up to the musical.

"I don't ask anything of anyone that I don't ask of myself," Best said.

Best said she has received advice and assistance from Morrone, and has a group of very supportive parents helping out as well.

"The support of the adminstration has been phenomenal," she said.

But the main reason for the success has been the kids, Best said.

That success at the Ocean County festival earned them a spot at the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival, also being held at the Grunin Arts Center at OCC. Best said the Brick troupe will be performing June 1.

"Their enjoyment and their success has been very rewarding," she said. "The kids keep wanting more."

Best said she's started thinking about next year's program, but hasn't settled on anything yet. Whatever they do, however, you can bet the kids will be all in.