Westfield Students To Stage '10 Ways to Survive the Holidays'

WESTFIELD, NJ — Roosevelt Intermediate School in Westfield has announced its fall production, “10 Ways to Survive the Holidays,” with three performances scheduled in November at the school auditorium.

The ensemble cast will perform the comedy on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m., and on Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.

All performances will be held at Roosevelt Intermediate School, 301 Clark St., Westfield.

The school described “10 Ways to Survive the Holidays” as a comedy by Don Zolidis that parodies the chaos, stress and absurdities of the winter holiday season.

The play follows narrators offering humorous advice as they move through holiday mishaps tied to Eid, Hanukkah, Christmas and Diwali.

The school states that the play's vignettes point to "a universal truth – nothing ever goes exactly according to plan, and that is part of what makes the holidays so magical."

"The holidays have so much love, history, tradition, and great food baked into them, but they can also come with a lot of stress when there is so much to do and so much pressure to make every moment perfect," said Jackie Fogel, director and communications and drama teacher at Roosevelt Intermediate School. "By poking fun at some of these holiday challenges that we all experience, no matter what we celebrate, the play serves as a good reminder that sometimes the beauty of the holidays is in the simplicity rather than the excess. On behalf of the entire cast and crew, we are so excited to share this spirit of the season with our community."

In addition to Fogel directing the production, Roosevelt Intermediate listed several staff members supporting the show. Jenna Burke, a language arts teacher, is leading the crew as stage manager.

Mary Fiedler, an ELA interventionist, and Katie Llera, a media specialist, are overseeing props and costumes.

Tech ed teachers Jessica Urriola and Wendy Michels are overseeing the set and lighting for the fall production.

Special education teacher Lindsay Sherman helped write an additional scene with the eighth-grade students, and guidance counselor Michela Sabba is assisting some of the parent volunteers.

Tickets are $12 each and are available for reserved seating at wpsvpa.booktix.com/dept/RIST.

Advance purchases are recommended. Any tickets not sold in advance will be available at the door, and cash will not be accepted.

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