The Outsiders has been a slated possibility nearly every year I have directed at HB. Its direct ties to our 7th grade English curriculum, its often contentious, but directly related and connective content to teenagers, its timeless themes of identity formation and chosen family, trauma and trauma response, desperation, and those fleeting, transformative golden moments made it an easy choice for our program.
This year, I felt we had the tools and context to elevate a production of this essential part of the HB experience to what it could be at its best - a production that included as many students in the COOP as possible.
Patrick West, Allie Buschmann, Jake Hess, Cole Etten, Amy Chase, Lynn DiZazzo, and Alyssa Costa were essential and enthusaistic collaborators. In addition to our typical CAVblock preview show offering for our high school students, all 400+ HBMS students took an in-school field trip to watch a preview version of our production and have a short talkback section with our HBHS students for the first time in COOP history. Liz Kolb provided a level of direct expertise and organization missing from our Costume/Makeup sector last year. Thanks to direct and active administrative support from Lance Flamino, Linda Sherwood, Jessica Sennott, and Elana Ayer, we were able to bring in experts like J.T. Turner, actor, stage combat trainer (SAFD), and fight choreographer, to work directly with our students. The original Ponyboy Curtis, C. Thomas Howell himself, also was able to Zoom in and discuss his experiences and advise for our thespians in a private clinic setting.
I'm proud of this production, this student management team, this tech team, our crews, and our cast. I'm proud of the innumerable supporters, both within the district, as well as from the broader Hollis and Brookline communities. As we look to a refreshed program with two new directors, new costume director, new music director, and new tech club advisor, we hope The Outsiders serves as an inspirational springboard to the continued successes of our heralded Performing Arts progams.
Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you back in the HBHS Community Auditorium very soon!
Matt Barbosa
Department Chair, Unified Arts
Teacher of Music, Theater, and Dance
2025 NH ACDA Choral Director of the Year
