What is brown, orange, and has a lot of talent? The Pascack Hills Theater Department, of course! For years, students have been spending hours in the auditorium to rehearse lines, practice dance moves, and sing their hearts out for our annual dramas and musicals. This year, we have a new director that will lead the department. Meet Peter Fournier, a Pascack Hills graduate who plans to turn the theater department upside down.

Peter Fournier graduated from Hills in 2007 and was inspired to pursue theater ever since his debut in Oklahoma in 2006. After his graduation, he was very successful in the theater business. He has performed in all theaters from community to professional across Ohio, New York, and New Jersey. Some of his lead roles include Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Link in Hairspray, and Roger in Rent. You could say that he gets around in the business.

As for the future Pascack Hills shows, he is looking forward to bringing professional musical theater into our school. He wants to give students a real sense of how theater is in the real world, just in case they decide to pursue it. This includes a real sense of auditions, call backs, performing, and set design. He says “I want this to not only be another activity for the students, but a learning experience and a chance for them to see if they want to really pursue drama or musical theater in college, in their community, or on a professional level.”

Not only does he want it to be a learning experience, he wants to bring modern musicals to Hills that are entertaining for the audience and challenging for the performers. He wants to improve everything this year including sets, lights, sound, and of course, the performances. He hopes that everyone brings their full potential.

Coming back to his alma mater 8 years later, Fournier says that a lot of the staff has changed, but it’s great to see some familiar faces. He is excited to work side by side with teachers that inspired him when he was a student.

If you haven’t been to any Pascack Hills shows yet, be sure to check them out this year. To see Fournier’s debut show as a director at PHHS, come see our fall drama, You Can’t Take it With You on November 13 and 14. It’s a show about a quirky family that has a lot of laughs for everyone. And if you can’t get enough of theater, come back in March for Legally Blonde: The Musical. Don’t miss these shows because the theater department will have its best year ever with the help of its new director.