Broadway performer, Thayne Jasperson, a cast member of Hamilton, visited Highland Park on Monday, May 14, when he led a theater (acting, singing, and dancing) workshop, geared towards students in the 5th through 12th grades. The workshop was facilitated by Fresh Theatre Arts, LLC., founded by Highland Park resident Tova Halpern.
“Thank you, Thayne Jasperson and Fresh Theatre Arts for bringing some Hamilton: An American Musical to Highland Park, New Jersey. My kid (Lily Solomon, 5th grader) had so much fun,” said Rebecca Hersh in a Facebook post.
Thayne is one of Hamilton’s original cast members. He plays Samuel Seabury and is an understudy for the roles of King George and Philip Hamilton. He was a finalist in Season Four of So You Think You Can Dance. Mr. Jasperson was also a featured dancer in High School Musical and performed in the original company of Matilda and Newsies.
Fresh Theatre Arts is an educational theatre company whose mission is to introduce, educate and encourage youth to participate in performing arts programming while strengthening their creativity, self-esteem, and social skills. The goal is to provide professional instruction in the areas of technical theatre, acting, dance and voice. Fresh Theatre Arts is currently serving communities throughout New Jersey.
Tova Halpern graduated with her B.A. in theater arts from Rutgers University in 2006. While at Rutgers, she was a director and producer for the Hillel Theatre Company and brought the company back to life. After graduating from Rutgers, Tova went to work on Broadway at Richard Frankel Productions, producers for Hairspray, Stomp and Young Frankenstein. After gaining Broadway experience, she decided to go back to school and received her M.A. in educational theater from New York University. Tova has been teaching and directing theater with children and adults for over 15 years.
When she and her husband decided to settle in Highland Park after they graduated from Rutgers, she became very involved professionally in theater arts activities within the Highland Park community.
“While core subjects can be stressful and overwhelming for some students, extra curricular activities create an opportunity for a child to grow and develop in comfortable circumstances that they might not get anywhere else. Today’s leaders are created inside and outside of the classroom. Through Fresh Theatre’s professional programming, students gain confidence and learn skills that are critical to their success in every day life,” said Tova.
For more information about Fresh Theatre Arts, LLC, please contact
Tova@freshtheatrearts.com Website: www.freshtheatrearts.com