When Newark Charter School started its musical theater program approximately 15 years ago, the only place students had to perform was the elementary school gym. A few years later, the high school building opened, and students were excited to perform in the “cafetorium” — a cafeteria with a built-in stage.
Now, however, Newark Charter’s theater, band, orchestra and choir students finally have a venue that shines as brightly as their talent.
Earlier this month, the school opened the Otello Meucci Performing Arts Center, a state-of the-art, 638-seat theater that was built as an addition to the high school on McIntire Drive. It includes a green room, dressing rooms, stage lighting, a professional sound system and an orchestra pit.
“With this theater, it might sound like I’m exaggerating, but honestly it feels like a dream come true,” said Ashlyn Almeida, a Newark Charter senior and member of the choir. “We have this space to let our creative mind flow, and it’s a great motivator to put on a great show for our audience.”
The school celebrated the new theater in grand fashion Sept. 13 with a show featuring performances by the band, orchestra, choir and theater students. A number of alumni participated as well, performing scenes from all the musicals the school has put on since 2008.
“It brought tears to my eyes to see how far we’ve come,” said Kelly Kline, choir director and music director for the musical theater program. “Thinking of us in that tiny gym and seeing this now and how professional it looks and how the kids are just lighting up and the options we have in the tech, it’s been a long time coming and made me very proud of how far we’ve come.”
The theater was funded through donations as part of a $2.5 million capital campaign, which also included construction of a football stadium last year. Newark Charter parents Scott and Larisa Gore made the naming-rights donation and chose to name the theater after his stepfather, Otello Meucci, who was a musician and teacher.
Head of School Sam Golder said amenities like the theater and stadium help students become “complete students.”
“We talk a ton about academics here at Newark Charter, and our accolades are well-deserved. Once again, last year, we were No. 1 in the state in student test scores,” Golder said. “But along with those academics, we want to have the student experience.”
He told students during the grand opening that it’s moments on the stage and field that they will end up remembering the best.
“We want you to talk at your reunions about our beautiful performing arts center. We want you to talk at your reunions about our athletic complex and the wonderful spirit of competition that you had,” he said. “These are memories that students make over time, memories that I still have from high school.”
The theater will be well-used by all grade levels at Newark Charter, which serves approximately 3,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
“To have this, it gives the students so much more opportunity, and they deserve it,” Kline said.
Carter Lunsford, a junior who does lighting design and plays in the orchestra, is excited for the new opportunities the theater provides.
“To say that the new tech we have and to say that all of these new resources that came with this new theater is a step up is an understatement. It’s 10 steps up,” Lunsford said. “This has been a truly amazing experience to be able to have this new space, and it’s really going to allow for a lot more greatness moving forward.”
Audrey Houghton, a junior who does choir and theater, agreed.
“I’ve never performed in a real theater before. I’ve performed in small venues, and our cafeteria stage was great, but it’s nothing compared to this one,” Houghton said. “It’s completely different. It’s such a huge space, and it’s got a sense of grandeur to it. You feel like you’re doing something really important.”
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