HAVERHILL — When the lights dim and the curtains open, J.G. Whittier Middle School drama club director Bobby Gariepy knows exactly how his young thespians feel before they step into the spotlight.
“It brings me back to that feeling I get backstage when I’m performing in plays with groups such as the Firehouse Theater and Pentucket Players,” he said. “Now I’m overwhelmed with glee and excitement for my students.”
Not only was he recently named one of the city’s educators of the year by the Haverhill YMCA, but he leads an after school program that was voted Haverhill’s best by readers of The Haverhill Gazette.
Gariepy, 27, is a music teacher at J.G. Whittier, which he attended in his youth, and also serves as executive director of the drama club.
“I was in the drama club under Diane Lemieux and I performed in a talent show in grade seven and ‘Haverhill Idol’ that year, taking first place during KidsFest downtown in 2009,” he said.
While attending Whittier Tech for a year, he played the lead in the school’s production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie.”
“It put me in the right direction as to what I wanted to do in my life,” he said. “You can find a video on YouTube of my singing ‘What Do I Need with Love.’”
He decided he wanted to teach music and transferred to Haverhill High, where he was mentored by chorus director Joe Gori.
“I was in every production, including ‘Into the Woods,’ in which I played Rapunzel’s Prince, and ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ in which I played Tevye, and from there I studied classical opera in college and I earned my teaching degree,” he said.
Teaching at JG Whittier
During his first year teaching music at JG Whittier and at the Nettle Middle School in 2018 he launched a drama club inviting students from both schools to join.
Their first public performance was “Hair Spray Junior” and it was held at the Nettle, drawing big crowds to four shows.
“It was easy to recruit students as the Nettle already had a drama program run by Devon Foustoukos,” he said. “She directed the play and I was music director.”
The drama club at Whittier is a district-wide program open to students in grades 3 to 12 across the district.
“My co-director is Madalyn Hanson, a grade eight ESP at Whittier who I sometimes refer to as my better half,” Gariepy said. “She keeps the kids in line, she keeps me in line, and helps us stay on task.”
Club members respond
The drama club has grown in recent years, with students like Mariah Hanagan, Grade 6 at the Nettle Middle School, eager to be part of the fun.
“When I was in fourth grade at Golden Hill I auditioned for the role of Moana as it was one of my favorite movies,” she said. “I already loved the character and I love to sing.”
A JG Whittier drama club member since February 2022, Mariah has played the part of Shenzi in the “Lion King Jr.,” Matilda in “Matilda The Musical,” the Baker’s Wife in “Into the Woods Jr.” and Ariel in “The Little Mermaid Jr.”
“Theater has become so much more to me than acting,” she said. “I have made the best of friends from all over the city and I have felt like I was part of the JGW drama family. I am looking forward to being a part of the Descendants play in the spring. I have learned so much about theater from Mr. Gariepy and Ms. Hanson and I am grateful for all the opportunities they have given me this far.”
For JGW Drama Club Vice President Abigail White, Grade 6, the theater offered her an opportunity to try something new.
“I have been in three productions so far, ‘Matilda,’ ‘Into the Woods Jr.,’ and ‘The Addams Family,’ Abigail said. “I do recommend this after school program because it’s really fun and exciting.”
Alex Urrutia, a sixth-grade student at the Hunking School, said he got involved because his sister is in the drama club.
“It made her so happy and now it makes me happy,” he said. “My favorite role was Jack from ‘Into The Woods Jr.’ because it gave me a chance to be good at something new.’”
Arts come with costs
Gariepy said it cost $1,400 for the rights to “The Addams Family,” which included 30 copies of the script along with audio track files for playback during the performances. Costumes for a single show can cost an average of $500 to $750, he said, depending on how extravagant the show needs to be.
“Between May and now I’ve spent almost $10,000 on new sound equipment to replace old, outdated equipment,” he said. “We also travel a lot since we service the whole district. Last year we performed ‘Matilda’ at Haverhill High School, which was big hit for us. and we were at Nettle for ‘Into the Woods.’”
Gariepy says buzz across the district is already growing about “Descendants The Musical,” the club’s spring show which is about the villains in Disney classics such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “101 Dalmatians.”
The show is open to students in grades three to 12 across the district.
He says the drama club can benefit from more lighting equipment as well as donations in the form of food, bottled water, and even the use of a UHaul van to transport equipment, costumes and set pieces to and from a storage unit.
To donate visit whittier.haverhill-ps.org/jgwdrama.