Theatre Group Wants You To Help Sing Toms River Schools' Praises

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Members of the Toms River schools' theatre community are inviting anyone who's been a part of it to join them Saturday morning to film a video for Trenton lawmakers showing what is at stake for students amid pending state aid cuts.

A Facebook event titled "Save TR Arts Video Project" says the video is designed to help continue the efforts to get the attention of Gov. Phil Murphy and Trenton lawmakers.

The Toms River Regional School District is facing a $4.3 million state aid cut for the 2020-2021 school year and district officials have said extracurricular activities across the board, from arts to sports to clubs, are on the chopping block, as are staff and other possibilities. Read more: Sports, Clubs, Kindergarten At Risk In Toms River School Aid Cuts

"This affects us all — not with respect to a single activity, but in terms of school spirit, staff and student morale, character growth, and overall education," wrote Kristine Perry, one of the organizers. "Without extracurricular activities, we will all lose the very best of what a public school education has to offer."

Anyone who has been involved in any way with Toms River theatre is invited to participate in the video, which will be filmed Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Toms River South in the cafetorium.

"Please join me ... to do what we do best: raise our voices in song, to both show and tell the public what we need, and what is at stake," she wrote.

She said staff members have been told the district is asking for one year of funding, simply enough to survive the next year, without having to cut programs as they figure out how to proceed.

The video will be of the participants singing "Seasons of Love" from the musical "Rent." It will be sent to Trenton and through social media outlets.

"I hope it will be a powerful display of the generations that have been touched by South theatre, and serve as an instant, visual reminder of how important the arts are," Perry said.

Parents, children, grandparents, friends and families are invited. Copies of the lyrics will be available.

"The bigger the group, the more powerful the impact. I hope that in some way, your experiences at South have contributed to your becoming the person you are today, in your friendships and personal relationships, in your confidence and work ethic, in your resilience and determination," she wrote. "These experiences teach lessons that reach beyond the classroom. It would be unthinkable for those opportunities to vanish."

"At the least, we will be heard; at best, we will make a difference!" Perry wrote.

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