Hoboken Middle School Junior Thespians Shine at State Festival
Hoboken, NJ – May 6, 2025 – Hoboken Middle School proudly celebrates the remarkable success of its Junior Thespians at the 2025 New Jersey Junior Thespians Festival, held on May 3rd at the Ocean County Vocational Technical School’s Grunin Performing Arts Academy. The festival brought together middle school theatre students and educators from across the state to participate in a full day of workshops, performances, and competitions designed to uplift and showcase theatre arts education for students in grades 6 through 8.
The New Jersey Junior Thespians Festival is a chapter of the Educational Theatre Association and part of the International Thespian Society, whose mission is to promote, strengthen, and advocate for theatre education in middle schools across New Jersey. Hoboken Middle School students not only participated enthusiastically but also achieved statewide recognition for their exceptional talent and preparation.
Students took part in dynamic, hands-on workshops including Unlock Your Voice, Acting Through Song, King of New York Dance, and Improvisation—each designed to build skill, confidence, and creativity. In addition, Hoboken Middle School students competed in two performance categories: Monologues and Duet Acting.
Their performances stood out among all attendees, earning an impressive six Superior Thespy Awards, the highest level of recognition at the festival. Notably, Hoboken students were the only ones awarded in the Monologue category and brought home more awards than any other participating middle school, further establishing the strength and excellence of Hoboken’s growing theatre program.
Superior Thespy Award Recipients
Monologue:
- Magnus Peterka
- Bria Wong
- Krishay Chugh
- Samuel Leong
Duet Acting:
- Madison McKeown & Molly Lamb
- Mayla Gregory & Seneca Perry
The festival attendees included: Eliot Cazaledes, Channing Chung, Krishay Chugh, Mayla Gregory, Stefan Jovanovski, Molly Lamb, Samuel Leong, Madison McKeown, Seneca Perry, Magnus Peterka, Charles Stropp, and Bria Wong.
This outstanding achievement would not have been possible without the dedication and expertise of Hoboken Middle School’s theatre educators—PJ Benson, Aishah Tapia, and Gina Rotondi—whose passion and guidance continue to inspire the next generation of performers.
“Our students’ performances were thoughtful, powerful, and polished,” said PJ Benson. “They represented Hoboken with pride and proved that middle school theatre can be a force of artistic excellence and personal growth.”
Danielle Miller, Supervisor of Music and Performing Arts, praised the students and staff for their remarkable showing: “These students are a testament to what happens when young people are empowered to express themselves through the arts. The poise, skill, and heart they brought to the festival were extraordinary. Hoboken Middle School’s theatre program is thriving because of the collaborative work of our educators and the enthusiasm of our talented performers.”
The Hoboken Public School District applauds the Junior Thespians and their teachers for their commitment to the performing arts in the middle grades and looks forward to watching these students flourish on the stage at Hoboken High School in the years to come.
Media Contact:
Mr. Christopher Munoz
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 201-356-3738