Saint Ann School Drama Club Celebrates Milestone

Editor's Note: The following news release was issued on behalf of Saint Ann School.

Reprising its very first show, the Saint Ann School Drama Club marks its 10th anniversary this month by staging “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”

Shows are at 7 p.m. on March 16, 22, and 23, and 3 p.m. on March 17.  Call (609) 883-0246 for tickets.

The drama club, founded and run by school parents to provide an extracurricular alternative to sports, has been performing a spring musical every year since 2003, including The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Disney’s Aladdin, Once Upon a Mattress, and most recently Bugsy Malone. 

Because of the large size of the club — more than 65 students, from second to eighth grade — each musical is performed over four nights with two full casts, each holding two performances. 

Since 2007, the group has also been staging a fall show, most often Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. 

“The Drama Club has been a wonderful outlet for our students’ talents,” Saint Ann School principal John McKenna said, “and it’s a great opportunity for them to learn to work together outside of the classroom in a very collaborative way.”

Every performance includes a raffle to benefit a charity, such as Angel’s Wings, Catholic Charities, and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, raising thousands of dollars to benefit these important causes.  The beneficiary of Wonka raffles will be Operation Smile.

Last November, the club put on a 10th Anniversary Showcase, mixing songs and skits from earlier productions, with all proceeds from the two performances — totaling $4,300 — benefiting the Diocese of Trenton Hurricane Relief Fund. 

Eight students will share the roles of Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket:  Angela Roberts, Mariah Kondash, Faith Cowell, and Reilly Bowe as Wonka and Alexis Staniec, Lydia Moody, Francesca Iucolino, and Cailyn Fiori as Charlie.

The cast and crew also includes:  Lucia Zeimet, Delaney Zeidman, Olivia Zebrowski, Weronika Tyminska,  Alexis Tyger, Sebastian and Samantha Toala, Mary Sweeney, Isabella Storie, Ian Staniec, Carolyn Smith, Jenna Sliwinski, Kevin Scott, Lauren Schaumburg, Gianna Santoro, Jack Sander, Sarah Rulkiewicz, Carly Rowcotsky, Rosa Mia Rosado, Jack Ramsey, Alyssa Poveromo, Ashley Pillsbury, Eva Pierrot, Nora Peterson, Samantha Papp, Cara Nally, Rose Munley,  Drew Mumich, Dena Montez, Seamus Meagher, Emma Lalli, Natalie Kobus, Natalie, Casey, and Lucas Klek, Natalia Kaluzna, Louis Juliano, Eryk Jasinski, Makaena Hewitt, Alex Hermann, Isabella and Will Guhl-Erdie, Emily Gerlach, Faith Fonseca, Giayana Feliciano, Cristina Fallon, George Drago, Isabella DiFoggio, Shania Dhanaraj, Gianna D’Souza, Michael Connolly, Britney Chia, Ryleigh Bucchi, Madison Brown, Ethan Brewer, Francesca Bocchini, Elizabeth Bivens-Tatum, Hunter Barratt, Caroline and Emily Barkley, and Haley Adamczak.