Princeton School’s Drama Department Is Having A Unique Standout Moment

PRINCETON, NJ – Princeton High School’s drama department is having a stellar year.

Members of the department recently won four Foxy awards and are nominated for the upcoming prestigious Paper Mill Playhouse's 2023 statewide Rising Star Awards. More: Princeton School's Drama Students Win 4 Awards In Statewide Contest

Meanwhile, drama teacher Julianna Krawiecki received a nomination in the “Outstanding Educator” category.

From being unable to perform during the pandemic to staging productions that went on to receive state recognition - it’s been a long journey for the department.

And they achieved all this through hard work and perseverance, according to Krawiecki .

“It's really nice to receive recognition. Of course, it's not why we do what we do in education, or in theater. I just feel very honored to get to work with my students every day. It feels really special,” Krawiecki told Patch.

The teacher has been a district employee for six years now and during this time has seen how the performing arts department was hit hard by COVID-19.

“We weren't able to deliver our instruction or our experiences in the way that they're meant to be done. We had to do everything virtually. It’s not the same at all,” Krawiecki said.

Teachers in the drama department had to work hard to keep students engaged and inspired during this time. They had to ensure the students came back to the program.

And when they did begin hosting live shows the department was faced with other hurdles like social distancing, which was not conducive to the art form.

“We couldn't have as many students involved because of the limitations. But when we were finally able to have a big musical, and an in-person audience, the excitement surrounding it brought a lot of kids back into our program,” Krawiecki said.

The hurdles faced during the pandemic helped the students grow and Krawiecki said she saw a lot of positive changes.

“When I first came to the school district, the drama classes were made up of the cast of the show. Now we have a much larger group of students that participate in our program because the shows are open to the whole student body,” Krawiecki said.

“We've been able to give students opportunities to grow as artists and be involved in the arts.”

During the 2022-23 school year, the drama department staged four productions. Before the pandemic, they had six. The journey back to normalcy has been slow, but steady.

The recent award nominations and victories have recognized all the hard work that goes into a production. There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes before the audience can see the magic on stage.

It begins with picking a show, and then months are spent securing the license and rights. Then the department spends time in pre-production. There are hours that go into planning, communication, management and more.

Both students and teachers work hard for months to make the show a success.

“It is an incredibly detailed, sometimes very difficult, challenging process. We're doing all of this while also being full-time teachers and balancing exams and coursework. It's incredibly demanding,” Krawiecki said.

Before coming to Princeton Public Schools, Krawiecki taught music and theatre at Englishtown Public Schools. According to her, the best part about the students at Princeton is that they are “unique and well-rounded.”

“Our students are extremely talented and intelligent. They ask great questions. They are engaged in the process of every show the entire way. And they care so much about each other,” the teacher said.

"I think the community that we build is the best part of everything. The only thing we have when the show ends are each other, the friendships we form and the community.”

A graduate of New York University, Krawiecki has a degree in theatre and wanted to be a performer. While at NYU she took a class in theater for young audiences and it opened her eyes to the state of the performing arts programs in public schools across the country.

“I went to private school, and we just didn't have a great arts program. Whether it's music or acting, I always did those things outside of school,” she said.

"But the class I took, really opened my eyes to the possibility to tell stories, share the magic of theater, and create special experiences with kids every day.”

PPS's theatre department is currently looking forward to the Rising Star Awards, to be held in June. And the excitement is high since receiving the nominations.

“This is the second time that we're participating in the awards. But we've never attended it in-person. So, this will be the first time that we go as a small group,” Krawiecki said.

“We don't know what to expect, but it's nice to receive the recognition and to celebrate the work we do as theater artists.”

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com