Toms River North Theatre Teacher Receives National Honor

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Last year, as the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy and its heartwrenching memories were looming over the Jersey Shore, the Toms River Regional School District was planning for a communitywide program called the Big Read, an effort to not only encourage reading but to encourage a sense of community.

As part of that, a group of Toms River High School North students decided they wanted to produce their own theatrical performance to not only capture the memories but also the rebirth. With the support of Carolyn Little, theatre teacher and director of the Toms River North Nautical Star Theatre Company, the group set off and created "Stronger Than The Storm: Superstorm Sandy 5 Years Later," which they performed last fall.

That play is just one example of the reasons Little has been selected to receive national recognition for her work as the high school's theatre teacher. Little will be one of three teachers honored at the national convention of the Educational Theatre Association in September with the the Inspirational Theatre Educator Award for her work at Toms River North. The honor was announced this week by the association.

The the national nonprofit association, which has 125,000 student and professional members, "recognizes individuals who have inspired their students and dedicated themselves to providing quality theatre education," the association said.

Little was selected for demonstrating the value of high standards and professionalism in theatre and beyond, the association said.

"She goes above and beyond to support and encourage students to take on leadership roles in productions, and teaches them to adapt to any situation they may encounter," the association wrote. "Little uses theatre experiences to educate students and audiences, and to create a dialogue within the community. With each production she has partnered with a charitable or awareness organization relevant to the show’s theme, donating a portion of the ticket sales."

The Toms River North Nautical Star Theatre Company performs a variety of shows. They present well-known productions such as "The Addams Family" musical that they staged in February. But the student group also has tackled far more challenging shows, including the student-written and directed "Stronger Than The Storm: Superstorm Sandy 5 Years Later" last fall and the play "Good Kids" by Naomi Iizuka, which centers on the sexual assault of a girl who drank too much at a high school party and went home with kids from the school football team, and what happens when evidence of the assault spreads on social media.

"Throughout the production of this show, the students were moved deeply by the message Good Kids had to offer," the Toms River North Nautical Star Theatre Company Facebook page notes. "It was clear that this message had to be taken to the next level, and thus, The Good Kids Project was formed."

The Good Kids Project was founded by Toms River North seniors Luke Sulsenti and Zach Holzman, with the goal of spreading awareness and breaking the silence on sexual assault.

"One out of six American women are victims of sexual violence in their lifetime," the post said. "One out of six. Since 1998, over 17 million American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape. Sexual assault is an issue of the utmost importance, and advocating the prevention and awareness of it is our goal."

Sulsenti, who directed one of the perofrmances of "Good Kids," also wrote and directed the "Stronger than the Storm" play from interviews with Sandy victims gathered by several members of the troupe.

Below is video of Sulsenti explaining "Stronger than the Storm" and a brief snippet of the show, from a presensentation on the Toms River Schools' Big Read in October.

The Educational Theatre Association is an international association with the mission of shaping lives through theatre education: honoring student achievement in theatre; supporting teachers by providing professional development, resources, and recognition; and influencing public opinion that theatre education is essential and builds life skills. The International Thespian Society, an honorary organization established at more than 4,700 schools, has inducted more than 2.3 million theatre students since its founding in 1929. The Educational Theatre Association also produces the International Thespian Festival and publishes Dramatics magazine for high school theatre students and Teaching Theatre, a journal for theatre education professionals. The Educational Theatre Foundation is the philanthropic arm of EdTA.

Photo of Carolyn Little provided by the Educational Theatre Association; other photos and video by Karen Wall, Patch staff