Bloodsuckers on the HudsonHigh Tech High School stages 'Dracula,' the rock opera
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High Tech is a countywide public school drawing students from all over the county - and next month, its pupils from North Bergen, Secaucus, Union City, and Jersey City may just want to suck your blood.
Approximately 35 students have spent the last seven months rehearsing for an original rock opera based on "Dracula," the classic Bram Stoker novel of vampires, the dead, and the undead.
"We took the Bram Stoker story and added classic rock from the '70s and '80s as well as mainstream rock from the '90s and now," said director Alex Perez last week. "There's a lot of acting, singing, and dancing all merged together."
The all-student band is directed by Rod Shepard.
High Tech's Music Theater Department has won several Paper Mill Rising Star Awards for excellence in high school musical theater, given by Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J. In six years, it has been nominated 15 times and won 10 awards, including best direction, best lead actor and actress, lobby art display, costumes, hair and makeup, and production.
Big challenge
Perez acknowledges that he and his students have a big challenge ahead of them. "Others have tried it on Broadway, but it's a risky novel to adapt," Perez said. "The drama needs to be told in the right way with the right music and mood."
He added, "We want to break away with a fresh feel that tells what Dracula means to us. It brings up questions of faith, war, and disease; blood is too precious a thing to be spilled. That resonates in today's world."
Jayson James, a 16-year-old junior from Bayonne, plays Count Dracula. "This is great preparation for learning how to get into a character," he said. "I watched an interview with Gary Oldman who played the part in the Coppola version. He said you have to bring your own feelings and personality to it. Dracula is a dynamic character who is lusting for love."
One of his love interests in Mina, played by Ariella Mastroianni, a 16-year-old junior from Secaucus. Ariella, lke Jayson, wants to make acting her life's work. "I'm interested in TV, film, Broadway; I want to do it all. This is my first time in a drama on stage."
Other students leading the way include Andres Martinez from North Bergen, who plays Dr. Seward, and Josie Dwyer from Jersey City, who plays Lucy.
But if you think that several evenings of bloodsucking and lip locking may be a bit much for high school students, Perez isn't worried.
"I would never tackle material that students aren't mature enough to handle," he said. "They took on the situation like pros. It's not at all amateurish, and that's one thing I'm happy about."
The audiences for High Tech shows also seem happy. "They come from all over the tri-state area," Perez says. "They come from all walks of life, and they're not just family and friends either. We usually sell out on Fridays and Saturdays - a full house at the Black Box is 120 seats."
The campus of the high school is in North Bergen.
High Tech offers theater major
At High Tech you can major in theater or dancing, and many of these students do.
"A good percentage have their eye on professional careers," said Perez. "A number of alumni have been on screen and stage, touring nationally."
He cited recent grad Graham Davie, who worked with Jesse Bradford in "A Kiss Before Midnight." Alumni Gio Perez was in "Be Kind, Rewind" with Jack Black and Mia Farrow. High Tech grad Lorelei Prince was in "Jesus Christ Superstar."
And many others, Perez says, are working behind the scenes, in producing, directing, or lighting.
Life lessons
But many student thespians who have no intention of becoming actors are participating in theater productions for other reasons.
"They see the results of their work and take the basic tools they've learned and adapt them to their after-school lives," Perez says. "They improve their social skills, which are so desperately needed now. The arts program allows them to be extremely social instead of being tied to computers. Working toward a common goal or final project gives them a sense of community and is important in any place of business."
He added, "They learn how to multitask by creating play bills, building sets, working on costumes, choreographing, and using a lot of critical thinking skills to solve problems. It also boosts their self-esteem and their image of who they are as leaders. They learn to be public speakers, and it's enjoyable to watch them create comfort zones for themselves. They come in shy and awkward, and in a year or two you can't stop 'em."
Director's chair
Perez, a Hudson County native, is in his ninth year of teaching and eighth year of directing at High Tech. In his late teens, he started working at MTV, where he was a casting director. The High Tech program "has grown so much," Perez says. "The students get accepted at different summer programs - at NYU, at NJPAC, and at Stage Door Manor, a summer camp for theater kids in Upstate New York, run by actors like Matthew Broderick."
Perez has also taken students to Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Pay to play
The students do all their own fundraising. "That's the other part of multitasking - money management," Perez says. "They learn how to budget and produce a show, starting from zero. Through ticket sales, chocolate sales, and bake sales they raise money for sets, costumes, and lighting."
In the mood for a night at the opera? The show is playing May 2, 3, 9, and 10 at 7 p.m. and May 3, 4, 10, and 11 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15. Call (201) 854-2903 for more information.
"They come in shy and awkward, and in a year or two you can't stop 'em." - Alex Perez
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