Morristown Native, Drama Teacher, To Make Professional Theatre Debut

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A drama teacher hailing from Morristown will be making her professional theatre debut this month — and lucky for her, it’s her favorite play.

Amy Bauer has taught at Morris Catholic High School for 16 years, ever since she graduated from Muhlenberg College. She began working part-time at Morris Catholic, simultaneously building up the drama program to what it is today, while earning her Master’s Degree in Dramatic Literature at NYU.

The now full-time teacher will be performing in American Theater Group’s production of “Our Town” from Oct. 23 through Nov. 9 at the DMK Theater in Union and at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge.

Not only is the production another step in Bauer’s return from an acting hiatus, but it's her first time working with a professional theater company, and to her excitement, “Our Town” is her all-time favorite.

“I just want to stress how beloved ‘Our Town’ is, especially among high school theatre,” Bauer told Patch. “So many students discover their calling of wanting to act, wanting to perform (through ‘Our Town’)… I just think that it is such an important thing, that (‘Our Town’) really lives and dwells in the classroom, in high school theaters all over the country.”

The play, written in 1938 by Thornton Wilder, revolves around the fictional town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. The show explores themes of love, life, and death by putting the day-to-day lives of Grover’s Corners’ residents under a magnifying glass.

While Bauer had never performed in her favorite play before American Theater Group’s production, she has directed it. Twice.

“Our Town” was the first play she’d directed when she began teaching at Morris Catholic. Years later, she directed it again, as it was the first production the school put on since returning from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I did it again as our first fall show after COVID as a way to kind of welcome everyone back, and to feel like a community, because that’s really what the play is about,” Bauer said. “It’s celebrating the beauty of the ‘every day,’ and the things we don’t pay attention to, which we all learned through that time period.”

Bauer added that her deep appreciation for the play and her experience directing it will absolutely play a role in her performance.

“There’s a deep understanding and a deep respect for the play, and knowing every line of it, it’s very interesting to be on the other side and think of the things that I’ve asked my students to do, and see it from that opposite end,” she said. “My directing experience has brought me a deep respect and love for the material that I think has been useful in trying to get to know the character, and know the show. But it’s been completely different, getting to live inside Grover’s Corners rather than being on the outside of it.”

For the upcoming production of “Our Town,” Bauer will be portraying Mrs. Soames, an energetic, sometimes gossipy Grover's Corners resident who offers some comedic relief throughout the show.

Bauer believes that Mrs. Soames is who she and her students would cast her as in the show.

“(Mrs. Soames) is a very energetic character. The play gets pretty serious, and she brings a lot of levity to the show… Even though the playwright doesn’t give us all the details of her life, there’s definitely some heaviness there that we don’t know about, but she tries to project a lot of positivity,” Bauer said. “She’s definitely a character that I was so excited to play because I like a high-energy character, because I think that’s the type of person I am, that I bring to my teaching.”

Bauer was cast alongside five other drama teachers from across the state. American Theater Group, along with director Merete Muenter and Producing Artist Director Jim Vagias, recognized the importance of “Our Town” in classrooms and wanted to give educators the opportunity to be a part of the play they teach their students.

The other NJ teachers in the show include Lauren Lipman as Sam Craig, Joseph Mancuso as Joe Stoddard, Monica Ross as Professor Willard, Tatum Thompson as the Woman in Balcony and Box, and Brendan Wahlers as Constable Warren/Man in Auditorium.

“To recognize the value of bringing in these educators… Understanding the power the show has, it’s pretty awesome,” she said. “I’m super excited.”

Tickets for the show are available online here.