Grease Creative

Director/Producer

Ms. Brittany Miller

is in her second year advising the Masquers of West Essex. Ms. Miller is also in her second year teaching English and Special Education at West Essex High School. Ms. Miller holds a B.A. in English from Caldwell University. Ms. Miller’s directing credits include Clue, You Can’t Beat the House and Seussical. Ms. Miller would like to thank the band of directors and Mrs. Swanick for all of your hard work and assistance through this show season. She would also like to thank her fiance for dealing with the hectic schedule of the last few months, her family for supporting her love of theater and her students, and the parents of the Masquers for all of their time and contributions to this year’s show. She would especially like to thank the cast and crew for all of their hard work and dedication over the last few months. She is very proud of you all!

Pit Conductor/Coordinator

Mr. Anthony Fabrizio

is the Director of Bands at West Essex High School. He directs the Symphonic Winds, Concert Band, the Jazz Knights, the Marching Knights, and has conducted the pit orchestra for the musical at WEHS for the last four years. Mr. Fabrizio has performed professionally in the New York/New Jersey area with the Atlantic City Ballet, the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, the Garden State Philharmonic, Gramercy Brass Orchestra of New York, North Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, and several other groups. Mr. Fabrizio holds a Master of Music Degree in Performance and Literature from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where he was a Graduate Teaching Assistant and served as the Principal Timpanist and Percussionist with the Philharmonia, Wind Orchestra, and Chamber Players. Mr. Fabrizio also holds a BM in Percussion and Music Education with a minor in Classical Piano Performance from William Paterson University.

Technical Director

Mr. Aaron Myerson

serves as an advisor for Masquers of West Essex and other events in the school. This is Mr. Myerson’s second year working as the technical director for West Essex, and he is very grateful to have such a wonderful team of students who are so eager to get involved in these shows and to teach one another all the technical skills required to help produce the magic onstage. Mr. Myerson earned a B.A. in English from Montclair State University and has been teaching at West Essex for five years. He currently teaches 10th and 11th grade English, creative writing, and film review (a film appreciation course). He would like to thank all the hard-working, talented students who made this show possible, his fellow directors and staff, and the administration and community of West Essex for supporting the theater and arts in our schools.

Music Director/Rehearsal Pianist

Mrs. Donna Mateyka

is looking forward to seeing “Grease,” the school edition, up on the West Essex stage! A member of the Music Department for twenty one years, this is Mrs. Mateyka’s twentieth Masquers spring musical! She would like to thank God for her talents and her family for their steadfast love and support of all her musical efforts! All the best to the directors along with the cast, crew, and pit orchestra as we present an “audience favorite” to our school and community!

Business Manager

Ms. Sarah Schiffelbein

is in her second year as Business Manager and her third year of teaching History and Special Education at West Essex High School. Ms. Schiffelbein holds a B.A. in Social Studies and Secondary Education from Caldwell University, along with a M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction and a M.A. in Special Education. As Business Manager, Ms. Schiffelbein has worked on You Can't Beat the House, Clue, and Seussical. She would like to thank all those involved with the Masquers program, the Board of Education, Administration, family and friends of the students, and most importantly Ms. Miller and the cast & crew of Grease.

Choreographer

Mrs. Shaun Salmon

graduated from West Essex in 2004 as a member and captain of the Varsity Dance Team and a member of Masquers, appearing in seven productions as both a dancer and actress. Most notably, she appeared as Kate in Absolutely Murder and as Gloria in Mame. She choreographed Beauty and the Beast, High School Musical, Sweeney Todd, Guys & Dolls, Legally Blonde, The Addams Family, The Little Mermaid, and Seussical for Masquers and is the Varsity Dance Team Coach. She holds a BA in American Studies from the University of Maryland College Park, where she continued in both dance and theater, and a JD from Seton Hall Law (admitted in NY and NJ). She wants to thank the entire creative team and incredibly talented West Essex students for a fantastic show!

Set Construction/Stage Crew Advisor

Mr. Lee Oberg

holds a B.A. and M.Ed. both from Trenton State College (The College of New Jersey) and has been the woodworking instructor at WE for the past 39 years. He has advised the stage crew for 31 years. Some favorite memories include: the elevator in the castle from Beauty and the Beast, “sinking” the cruise ship from Anything Goes, and building the “reversible” set (twice!) for Noises Off. Over the years, Mr. Oberg has participated in Masquers productions both on stage (Music Man) and in the pit playing trombone. He is ever mindful of his greatest lessons including his wife Susan, his children Chelsea, Jesse, Lindsay, Jennifer and Sarah and his grandchildren.

Original Creative Team

GREASE: SCHOOL VERSION

Book, Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Grease: School Version is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

JIM JACOBS (Book, Music and Lyrics). Jacobs, who created Grease (in 1970) with Warren Casey, was born and raised on the mean

streets of Chicago’s far northwest side. During the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll (1956-1960) he was a guitar-playing “greaser” student at

Taft High School. In 1963, Jacobs met Warren Casey when they were both cast in a local theatre production of A Shot in the Dark.

Seven years later they wrote what was to become one of the greatest musicals of all time. Grease opened in 1971 in a former trolley

barn called the Kingston Mines Theatre in Chicago. A year later, Grease made it to Broadway and “Greasemania” took off, resulting

in one of the longest running shows in Broadway history. The 1978 movie became and remains the highest grossing movie musical of

all time. Originally an actor, Jacobs has been seen on television, in motion pictures, regional theatre, national tours, and on

Broadway. He is the co-author of several other plays and musicals including Island of Lost Coeds, a musical spoof of the low budget

sci-fi/horror/jungle movies of the 1950s, which he wrote with Warren Casey. In May 2014, Mr. Jacobs was presented with an

honorary doctorate degree from Columbia College in Chicago. He currently resides in Southern California and remains active in the

theatre, especially with the American Theatre Company of Chicago.

WARREN CASEY (Author, Composer and Lyricist) was born in Yonkers, New York, and attended Syracuse University. During the

late ‘50s, he learned all about “greasers” while working as an art teacher in upstate New York. He moved to Chicago in 1962, where

he hoped to pursue an acting career. He appeared in dozens of productions, including creating the role of Bernie Litko in David

Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago. He supported himself with jobs in retail, including working as an assistant

manager of a chain of apparel stores, and as a record salesman. In the meantime, he taught himself how to play the guitar and began

writing songs. Mr. Casey acted with the Chicago Stage Guild (where he met Jim Jacobs), the Old Town Players, and the Kinston

Mines Theatre. The latter company staged the original production of GREASE which he wrote with Jim Jacobs. After the incredible

success of both the musical and the movie, the two collaborated on Island of Lost Coeds, a musical satire of the B-movies of the 1950s.

Mr. Casey died in 1988.