Calling All Woodhull-Jack Abrams Intermediate Drama Club Alums
The hunt is on for former Woodhull and Jack Abrams Intermediate School drama club members. The club’s alumni is being invited to Woodhull to sing a medley of songs from previous plays in late January when the curtain goes up on this year’s show.
Faculty advisors Allison Von Vange and Todd Hiscox are reaching out to drama club alumni and asking them to turnout for either the Friday, January 29 or Saturday, January 30 performance of The Lion King, Jr. at Woodhull. There is no need for alums to attend both shows to be a part of the performance. Each individual can just choose the one date that works best for them.
Interested in participating? Send a message to Ms. Von Vange at avonvange@hufsd.edu. Alumni should include their name and what performance they were in while a student at either Woodhull or Jack Abrams Intermediate School.
“We will email to alumni the lyrics to the song to practice and all the particulars they need to know,” Ms. Von Vange said. “Everyone should feel free to come in costume, too.”
Co-directors of this year’s show, Ms. Von Vange and Mr. Hiscox have collaborated on a long list of plays over the years with approximately 100 students in each play. “I’m hoping to get a huge group together not only to see them again, but to share words of wisdom with our drama students now on their successes in life. Many students have shared with me that being in the play gave them self-confidence they never had before. I would love for them to share that with our kids now.”
Many of the alumni have returned as student directors of later plays. “They have told me that being a student director is just as great, if not better than being in the play themselves,” Ms. Von Vange said. “They love mentoring to a new group of students.”
Some of past student directors have included Caitlin Etri, Rebecca Silverman, Hannah Pipolo and Jordan Biener. Current Huntington High School sophomore Alyssa Befumo, who played the part of Jasmine in Aladdin Jr. is this year’s student director.
Ms. Von Vange has been teaching in the Huntington School District since 1996. She earned an undergraduate degree at St. Joseph’s College and a master’s degree at SUNY Stony Brook. Mr. Hiscox holds degrees from Syracuse and Purdue universities. He has been teaching art in the district since 1995.
A proud member of Huntington’s Class of 1991, Ms. Von Vange was never in any high school drama club productions herself. “I did play Slowpoke the Snail in sixth grade at Jefferson,” she recalled.