Jack McCaffrey 

While he was a student at Cresskill High School, Jack McCaffrey was a highly dedicated member of the music department, participating in and managing many of the music-based productions throughout his four years. He was a full-time member of the Lighting and Audio Club and Stage Crew where he was the stage manager for the majority of Spring Musicals and Fall Dramas. As Stage Manager, Jack not only led and directed other crew members, designed and carried out complicated set changes, and worked with Mr. Von Glahn on lighting and microphones for performances, but was often tasked with overseeing and assisting actors in learning/practicing their lines. Alongside his management of theatre productions and music department performances, Jack was also a lead actor in the Fall 2016 production of “Twelfth Night” where he played Duke Orsino and acted as the Marching Band Videographer for half-time performances and competitions. 

After graduating in 2017, Jack went on to Ramapo College where he double majored in Digital Filmmaking and Technical Theater. In his free time, he continued to explore and follow his passion by stage managing MainStage productions and working as a student aide in the Ramapo scenery shop. 

Jack’s fondest memories of his time at Cresskill are too numerous to choose between. From the bond he built with Mr. Von Glahn and other music department members to working shows with the stage crew, he is extremely thankful for how the time he spent with the music department was able to shape him into the person he is now, post-graduation. While he has many treasured memories of Cresskill, one of his favorite is the moment when VG told him he was doing great at a tech rehearsal for Peter Pan only for him to follow up with “I need the pirate ship in 5 minutes”. The Pirate ship was one of the hardest set changes he’d ever done, taking at least 15 minutes to complete!

In  the Spring of 2023, Jack joined forces with his former teachers at CMS/CHS in becoming the Video Productions teacher and lighting crew advisor.  Jumping right in during his first week, Mr. McCaffrey designed the lights for our first show in the brand new auditorium - our production of "Footloose" and has immediately made his presence known.  It's great to have Jack aboard as a part of the staff in the Cresskill School District.