The South Hunterdon High School theatre program performed the iconic children's literature movie, Matilda, as their winter musical. On February 27th, the cast took the stage in front of 250 excited students, staff and family members. Amelia Carlucci took on the character of Matilda for her first major role in high school theatre, and she dazzled on stage.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Mrs. DiStaulo and discuss some of her thoughts about the production of Matilda. We wanted to find out information about why she chose Matilda, her favorite parts of producing the musical, and the challenges she faced during the process. Below are her responses to the questions we asked:

1. What were some challenges working on the musical? Our cast was young, with not much experience, so they had to learn the basics of theatre before storytelling which added an additional aspect to the timeframe

2. What is your favorite scene in the musical? The whole show is amazing but my favorite part is most likely when Matilda sings at the end of Act 2 and realizes what brings her peace/power. This scene really encapsulates what the whole show is about

3. What is your favorite behind the scenes moment? Someone was always laughing backstage but my favorite part was witnessing the throw with the dummy by its pigtails and witnessing how confident and happy the kids are. It made all the rehearsals and stress worth it to see the kids having such a good time.

4. Why did you pick Matilda for the musical? I knew that the cast would be young, and I was hoping to encourage the younger kids to come out and either try something new or return to something fun and inviting. I felt that Matilda was well known and I was hoping that would help it sell out to continue our wonderful theatre program

As Mrs. DiStaulo’s first theatrical production with South Hunterdon, it was very much a success! Before even selecting Matilda, Mrs. DiStaulo wanted to select a show where everyone could shine in their roles and she put a lot of effort into making this show the best it could be as well as ensuring all the kids were comfortable and confident in their roles. It was fulfilling for Mrs. DiStaulo to see the show finally come together and our taste of Mrs. DiStaulo’s work excites us for the Spring play Our Place, as well as all of her future productions.