Bergen County Players Presents IS THERE LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? Now thru 6/3

The Bergen County Players (BCP), presents IS THERE LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?, a funny and bittersweet musical with music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia and book by Jeffrey Kindley. Under the direction of Carol Fisher, Is There Life After High School? will be performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from today May 5th - June 3rd, 2012, with shows at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays. All tickets are $21 and can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours.

This delightful musical serves as a mini-yearbook, a trip back to the high school hallways for a group of alumni who, through song and dance, examine their classroom days. The cast recounts stories of their most hilarious, horrific and nostalgic memories as they sing about the cool crowd ("Diary of a Homecoming Queen"), the not-so-popular crowd ("I'm Glad You Didn't Know Me"), the band geeks ("Thousands of Trumpets"), missed chances ("Second Thoughts"), those wild high school parties ("Beer") and more.

Is There Life After High School? opened on Broadway in 1982 and is based on an iconic book by Ralph Keyes of the same name published in 1976. This entertaining collection of monologues and musical numbers takes the audience on a journey and allows us to relive the magic and the heartbreak of those four awkward, sentimental, crazy adolescent years.

Director Carol Fisher of Teaneck is a longtime BCP member who previously directed Sordid Lives and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You for the Bergen County Players. She has also appeared onstage in numerous BCP shows including Doubt, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Follies. “Is there Life After High School? is the most enjoyable show you have never heard of,” says Fisher. “I think the audience will truly enjoy this walk down memory lane. The music is instantly memorable and the script is both funny and touching.”

A talented cast brings these nostalgic post-graduates to life. The men are played by Paul Stabile (Rutherford), Jim DeBlasi (Yonkers, NY), Brian Eller (Wyckoff), Peter Oliff (Nutley) and Chris Milone (Palisades Park). The show’s women are played by BCP veterans Cheryl Woertz (Alpine), Staci Block (Hackensack), Nancy Feldman (New City, NY) and Janica Carpenter (Old Tappan).

The production team includes Producer Kathie Robitz (Westwood), Assistant to the Director Melissa Welz (North Bergen), Stage Manager Joe O'Connor (Upper Saddle River), Set Design and Construction by Mike Smith (Oradell), Set Décor by Lauren Zenreich(Oradell), Lighting Design by Timothy Meola (Flanders), Costumes by Joanne Misha (Montvale), Properties by Bob Singer (Teaneck), Lighting Operator Kathleen Ruland (Lodi), Sound Operator Frank O' Leary (Dumont), Publicity by Lena Grotticelli (Mahwah), Photography by Steve Mintz (Englewood) and Barbara Schwartz (New Milford), Programs by Leigh Adel-Arnold (Teaneck) and Chris Nelson (Westwood) and Program Notes by Will Nolan (Bogota).

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION

All performances take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players since 1949. Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm.

Tickets for Is There Life After High School? are $21 for all performances and can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours. Visa, Master Card, and American Express are accepted.

Those interested in Group Sales of 20 or more tickets can call (201) 262-0515.

As it has for the past few seasons, BCP will continue to offer a Q & A ("Questions & Artists") discussion following select performances. The The Man Who Came To Dinner Q&A will kick off immediately following the Friday, May 11th performance. Admission is included in the cost of the ticket.

Student Rush tickets are available for $5 for students age 25 and under with valid ID, 30 minutes prior to curtain. One ticket per ID. Cash only. Students can also guarantee their seats in advance either online or through the box office for the special student price of just $14.

Parking is free for our patrons at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theater.

The Bergen County Players has grown tremendously from its roots as a small community theater when it was founded in 1932; today, nearly 300 volunteer members, working on and off stage, make possible the nine productions presented each season.

Further information can be found at www.bcplayers.org.

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