EDISON – Broadway’s lights shone bright at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
Tony-nominated Kerry Butler directed a masterclass last week in the Little Theatre for 80 Catholic school students in the Diocese of Metuchen, where she watched and analyzed performances by the middle and high schoolers.
Butler, whose dozen Broadway appearances include "Mean Girls," "Beauty and the Beast," "Beetlejuice" and "Xanadu," offered professional insight, introducing students to “more tools in their bag” and delivering affirmation and tips.
The Broadway veteran of more than three decades guided students in hands-on workshops in stagecraft and vocal while focusing on the passion required to excel in musical theater and how to own individual talents and creativity.
"Every single one of you is special in this room, and every single one of you has something different that you have to offer your show," said Butler who also has Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards nominations. "And once you tap into what makes you special, that is when you find your 'secret sauce,' and that's when you're going to really find the right roles for you and things like that. I would say my biggest life lesson is just letting go of worry about what other people think of me and just being my authentic 'nerdy' self."
In on-stage showcases the student performers delivered a taste of their shows and talent, and in between Butler sat in a student-driven Q&A session where she thanked them for sharing their talents with her.
"You guys were amazing today," she said. "You are all doing amazing work. So good."
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The morning saw performances of "Newsies" by St. Thomas the Apostle School in Old Bridge; "The Lion King" by St. John Vianney School in Woodbridge; "Alice in Wonderland" by Holy Savior Academy in South Plainfield; "101 Dalmatians" by Assumption Catholic School in Perth Amboy; "The Little Mermaid" by St. Bartholomew School in East Brunswick and "The Wizard of Oz" by St. Helena's School in Edison.
"I think it is pretty amazing to be able to learn from such an experienced actress," said eighth grader Logan Chang who performed the role of the Tin Man in an “Oz” scene. "It was an opportunity to perform in front of her and learn how to improve myself up on stage."
In the afternoon St. Thomas Aquinas theater students performed scenes from the musical "Disaster!" by Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick, a show the school's drama club has presented six times this month.
Butler analyzed each scene, discussing and demonstrating a variety of methods and skills. She spoke with them earlier about developing backstories for characters, how she learns lines and the audition process.
"Disaster!”, a juke-box musical featuring songs from the 1970s, is a parody of disaster movies of the decade. Butler originated the role of Marianne in the "Disaster" production on Broadway in 2016. Lucia Rossi portrays Marianne in Aquinas' version.
"Everyone has such a great handle on their characters," Butler said. "You're all so unique, and you really found the essence of your character. You're in amazing shape. I really wish I could see this show. And I don't say that when I go to the schools usually, but really, you're triple threats. You're making strong acting choices, fantastic voices. Congratulations. I hope that you're so proud of yourself and just continue to have so much fun doing the show."
The show also features the high school's quarterback Chase Young, as well as several other varsity athletes and talented teens which, according to Aquinas’ spokesman Mike Kowalczyk, demonstrates the school’s pride in promoting cross-disciplinary talent.
Butler, who lives in South Orange with her husband and two daughters, enjoys the role of coach in masterclasses and trainings at schools and theater groups when time allows. She hosts a "Breaking Broadway" podcast which delves into the ins and outs of making it on Broadway.
Currently she and fellow "Hairspray" alum Laura Bell Bundy and Marissa Jaret Winokur are touring their three-woman show "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now!" The production is a concert experience the trio conceived, wrote and directed that illustrates their journeys separate and together as performers, mothers and friends.
"I really have been lucky, and I love all the shows I've done," Butler told the students during Q&A, "but I do always say that 'Hairspray' was my favorite, because 'Hairspray' was like the first time that I got to originate a role (Penny Pingleton). And we were all so young, and we were all best friends."
Butler, a product of Catholics schools, came away impressed by the Diocese’s attention to the arts.
The St. Thomas Aquinas drama department offers three or four productions each school year with opportunities to perform during and after school, said Director of Theater Lea Gossett. In addition to Drama 1, Drama 2 and Theatre Intensive courses, the Summer Aquinas Academy is offering a Theatre Extravaganza summer camp showcasing acting, singing, dancing and stage combat components from June 23-27.
Almost a quarter of Aquinas students participate in the performing arts, Gossett said, with the spring musical’s cast and crew totaling 57.
"I didn't have this in my school," said Butler, who graduated from the theater program at Ithaca College. "Not even in the high school."
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Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: [email protected] or. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.