“Theater skills are skills for life.” 

Welcome to another fantastic year of the SJR Performing Arts Program! We're delighted to have you with us whether you're brand new to our program, or a returning member.  

The SJR Performing Arts Program is nationally recognized, critically-acclaimed and offers a rich tradition of excellence, experiences and new relationships to last a lifetime.

“Theater skills are skills for life” are words of wisdom which hang in the Performing Arts classroom (converted by St. Joe’s into a rehearsal space for its nationally-recognized, critically-acclaimed, and ever-growing Performing Arts Program). 

The musicals at St. Joe’s are widely-known as the best in northern New Jersey, with parts for singers, actors, dancers, and stage crew. Talented girls from surrounding high schools join the young SJR men on the stage each year, making theater one of the best ways to make new friends. 

Recent SJR productions have included Mystic Pizza, Something Rotten, The Addams Family, and Bright Star. Since 2007, the performing arts program has also included a spring comedy or drama. Recent productions have included Love/Sick and Neil Simon’s Rumors, which was named Best High School Comedy in New Jersey by the Montclair State High School Theater Awards program.

Our school musicals have earned the Papermill Playhouse Educational Impact Award a record six times, and our 2008 production of West Side Story earned national recognition as a USA Today High School Showstopper, one of only five high school musicals to be so named. Our 2015 musical, Miss Saigon, earned Nick Berninger ’16 the Rising Star Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role from the Papermill Playhouse. In 2017, Christopher Marzulla ’18 was named Best Lead Actor in a Drama by Montclair State for his performance in Ordinary People and in 2018, James Zitelli was named Best Actor in a Comedy for his star turn in Neil Simon’s Rumors. In 2021, our school's production of Something Rotten was named Outstanding High School Musical by Montclair State University, and Brendan Moran was awarded Outstanding High School Actor for his role in the production. Since the inception of our spring “non-musical”, Saint Joe’s has been nominated as Best High School Comedy/Drama for nine consecutive years, and has won that award four times. Additionally, members of the cast of our shows have appeared on Fox Five Good Day New York on several occasions, including a special on St. Joe's high school world premiere of Mystic Pizza in 2022. Our students may also be seen on Fox Five ushering in new seasons of American Idol with a cappella performances.

All aspects of a St. Joe’s production – acting, vocal instruction, musical direction, technical and set design, stage management, choreography, costuming, hair and makeup, and stage combat are all led by a staff of professionals with years of experience in their respective fields, many with Broadway and regional credits.

In residence at SJR, Broadway Theater Workshops offers Summer Theater Camps, private instruction from Broadway performers, and multiple workshops and classes.

The young men and women who’ve graced our stage are always welcome to return to the Inserra Theater at St. Joe’s.   Once you’ve been a member of a “Joe’s Show”, you are always a member of the SJR Theater family.