50 Years of TJ Thespians and 65 Years of Theater Celebrated
The West Jefferson Hills community celebrated a milestone and 65 years of theater at Thomas Jefferson High School during an artistic and informative event in the TJ Theater .
The primary focus of the evening was to celebrate 50 years since the founding of TJ ’ s ITS troupe . Troupe 2333 of the International Thespian Society launched at TJHS in 1974 . Students performed “ The Wizard of Oz ” and “ You Can ’ t Take it With You ” in the spring of 1974 and “ Rumpelstiltskin ” that fall .
Current and former TJ students who are members of ITS Troupe 2333 performed during the showcase with songs , dance , monologues and excerpts from an original play by TJ student Gavin Hart , titled , “ Forgetfulness .” The show was produced by TJ teacher Julie Tipton , with students Eli Fisher and Evana Matulula serving as emcees . Students also served as stage manager , the lighting and sound crews .
The celebration also included an amazing historical slideshow on 65 years of TJ theater that has been compiled and created by TJ graduate Floyd Schuchert . He was a member of the Drama Club for all four years at TJ , serving as president as a senior in 1975-76 . He began digitizing the content in 2008 .
The slideshow covers nearly 200 Thomas Jefferson musicals and fall plays that date to the spring of 1959 and the production of “ Our Town ,” the year before the opening of the old Thomas Jefferson High School . The stage was operational before the high school opened the next fall . Schuchert said TJ ’ s first all-school musical was “ Annie Get Your Gun ” in the spring of 1986 .
The database Schuchert has compiled includes more than 16,000 pages of material . The slideshow includes a wide variety of source materials , much of which has originated with several decades of scrapbooks compiled by TJ Drama Club Secretaries . The materials include photographs , programs , posters , advertisements , memorabilia , Monticello yearbooks and The Statesman
newspapers . “ This is a passion for me ,” Schuchert said . “ I got a great education at TJ ,” mentioning one of his teachers , Bob Morgan .
Schuchert said more than 4,000 TJ students have been part of the drama and musical theater productions and are credited in the slideshow , including nearly 1,000 Thomas Jefferson ITS members . There are a combined total of 16,500-plus student credits in all the productions .
Schuchert has enlisted the assistance of former students , teachers and others during his compilation of 65 years of material . Among those who ’ ve provided significant help and direction are some of the founding and current members of TJ Arts , including founder Karen Suszynski , Carolyn Bourgeois , Dawn Walters , Julie Tipton , Michele Stoicovy and Schuchert ’ s sister , Kathy Goettler .
During the Showcase event , Schuchert announced the launching of a TJ Theatre Memories Facebook group , which will provide public access to the slideshow . The Facebook page is run by TJ Arts and can be found at : www . Facebook . com / Groups / TJHSTheaterMemories .
est Jefferson Hills WEST JEFFERSON HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS ❘ SUMMER 2024 47