Playwrights Theatre to Present A Play Date With Mr. H ~ One Act Plays by Scott Huguenin at RoxPAC

MADISON, N.J. - April 8, 2014 - PRLog -- Playwrights Theatre will present a free reading of several plays by the late Scott Huguenin, beloved Roxbury School District teacher on April 26, 2014 at RoxPAC – Investors Bank Theater, 72 Eyland Avenue, Roxbury, NJ. Admission is free, but reservations are suggested. Reservations can be made on Playwrights Theatre’s website at www.ptnj.org/freereadings.php or by calling Playwrights Theatre’s Box Office at (973)514-1787.

Scott Huguenin wrote plays for adults and children. He started his career in the advanced playwriting class at Playwrights Theatre’s Creative Arts Academy in Madison, NJ, and had his work performed at Playwrights Theatre, 12 Miles West, The Festival of NJ Writers, Funny Bones Festival, the MultiStages New Works Festival and the Tada Youth Theatre in NYC.

For over 20 years, he taught enrichment programs and second grade in the Roxbury School District and at a private Catholic School in Sayreville, NJ, where he earned numerous “Teacher of the Year” awards for both his classroom work and extra-curricular clubs and shows he helped to create and run.

Scott passed away unexpectedly at the age of 47 in August 2012, leaving behind a loving family and a large body of plays. In 2012, his brother Marc published four volumes.

“We will celebrate the life of this extraordinary man with a staged reading working with professional actors at RoxPAC in Roxbury on Saturday April 26,” said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director of Playwrights Theatre. “Two pieces written for children and their families will be performed at 4:00pm, with four additional pieces recommended for older audiences at 5:30pm. In between the two readings there will be a reception with light refreshments. We hope to see you there.”

About Scott Huguenin: Born Scott Thomas Huguenin in Columbus, Ohio in 1964 as the first of five children, Scott spent part of the first year of his life in Ohio as his father was serving in the army. Shortly after his father’s discharge, the family moved to South Amboy, NJ where Scott would spend the rest of his childhood.

After obtaining his teaching certificate, Scott taught at a few schools before finally obtaining a job in Roxbury NJ as an enrichment teacher for elementary students.  Seemingly a perfect fit, this job allowed Scott to teach kids how to be creative and imaginative, like he was.  He made science and mathematics fun and would always find the things that were most special to each individual kid in order to get them to achieve their fullest.  All the kids looked forward to their special time with “Mr. H”, as he was known throughout the schools and he won several “Teacher of the Year” awards, an indication of his influence on his students.

In September of 1998, Scott decided to try his hand at playwriting and joined the Advanced Playwriting class at Playwrights Theater of NJ in Madison taught by John Pietrowski and John Morrison.  It was there that Scott started to create his body of plays which consists of numerous full length plays, one act plays and performance art pieces.  Later, Scott would also join the 12 Miles West Writers’ group in Montclair to further develop his work.

While the majority of Scott’s work focused on adult themed material, he always made time to work on a few plays for younger audiences as a way to remain connected to his students.

Around 2008, Roxbury School District decided to eliminate their enrichment program due to budget constraints, which left Scott devastated.  He contemplated leaving teaching and focusing solely on his writing, however, in the end he decided he would miss his students too much.  As a result, he accepted a position teaching second graders at Jefferson Elementary.  Surprisingly to Scott, he found himself even more rewarded by teaching the same students all day long and used his previous enrichment experience to champion the local Science Fairs and Talent Shows and to help choose the annual school play.

In August of 2012, Scott passed away unexpectedly at the age of 47.

About Playwrights Theatre:

Founded in 1986, Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit professional theatre and arts education institution dedicated to developing and nurturing the dramatic imagination of artists, students, and audiences. Our New Play Program, which includes the The New Jersey Emerging Women Playwrights Program and the Literary Artist Fellowship Program creates development opportunities for professional writers through readings, workshops and productions, and invites audiences to participate in authentic feedback experiences. Our New Jersey Writers Project, Poetry Out Loud, New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest and Festival, and Creative Arts Academy programs provide a comprehensive and hands-on arts education experience to over 31,000 students, Pre-K through adult.

Writers in the New Play Program are drawn from across the country, including our affiliation with the National New Play Network, a nation-wide group of theatres dedicated to the development and production of new work. Teaching Artists in our Education Programs are professional artists working in their field in the New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. From 2003-2016, we have been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (along with only five other theatres: The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, George Street Playhouse, McCarter Theatre Center, Two River Theatre and Paper Mill Playhouse) as “an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey.”

Funding for our activities comes from: the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Community Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., Dramatist Guild Fund, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, The Shubert Foundation, Novartis, The Victoria Foundation, and many corporations, foundations and individuals.

Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.

About The Roxbury Performing Arts Center (RoxPAC) and The Roxbury Arts Alliance:

The Roxbury Performing Arts Center (RoxPAC) is the centerpiece of the Roxbury Arts Plan. The Investors Bank Theatre in the RoxPAC at 72 Eyland Avenue is a flexible theater that can accommodate between 100 – 200 patrons. Along with professional arts and culture events, RoxPAC hosts a variety of quality community-based programming including a Theatre Alliance Program (working with regional theatre groups to bring performances to Roxbury Township), The Aspiring Artists Series (showcasing local performers), Family Entertainment Events and Actor/Comedy/Dancing Classes and Workshops.