Meet Maria Lampa: Building Confidence and Community Through Theatre at Cedar Creek High School

 

At Cedar Creek High School in Egg Harbor City, Maria Lampa is showing students that theatre is about far more than what happens on stage. Through her classroom and her productions, she’s teaching empathy, confidence, and the value of using art to give back to the community. Read on to hear more about her approach, her students, and a production that turned a school musical into a citywide act of support.

Tell us about yourself! What do you teach, where do you teach, and how long have you been an arts educator?

I have been a theatre educator in the public school system for 13 full years. I currently teach at Cedar Creek High School in Egg Harbor City, NJ and run a well supported theatre department which is both curricular and extra-curricular. I teach five different theatre classes at my high school, Theatre I, Theatre II, Honors Theatre III, Honors Theatre IV, and Acting for the Camera, two of which are dual credit courses with our local community college. Our afterschool program has earned much recognition – we have earned nominations and won awards in programs like NJ Thespian Festival, Southern NJ Cappies, Montclair Foxy Awards, Paper Mill Rising Star Awards, and was named a Premier Community for Theatre Education for the 2022-2025 school year by EdTA.

How would you describe your approach to teaching the arts? What principles or values guide your work in the classroom?

I believe that my responsibility is not only to teach my students about theatre but how to use theatre to create more confident, emotionally aware, and empathetic individuals. I place emphasis, especially in the first level of theatre, on making connections between the skills they are learning to be a better actor and the skills they will need in their adult life, no matter what job they wind up working. I also instill in my classes the important of being supportive of one another. I explain that in order to feel comfortable making bold and creative choices, the students will need to feel accepted and embraced by one another. Incorporating a strong sense of trust and community is always an important part of the beginning of our school year.

Even if my students don’t wind up working in the theatre, I want them to have a well-rounded knowledge of theatre, the work it entails, and to gain an appreciation for all types of theatrical performance. Every week, I teach a different show and each day of the week, they learn a new tidbit about the show (Summary, Characters, Cast/Creative, Fun Facts, and we end the week with a clip). This helps to expose them to current and past performances, notable performers, and many different styles of both straight and musical theatre.

Tell us about a program, project, or initiative you have developed or been a part of. What inspired it and what does it look like in practice?

At Cedar Creek Theatre, we believe the arts are not only a form of entertainment but also a powerful tool for advocacy and education. With that belief in mind, our spring musical production of 9 to 5 sought to extend the show’s themes beyond the stage by supporting women-led small businesses and organizations making a difference in our community.

Production photos for the show were captured by local, female photographer Kristann Dolinsky of Kristann Michael Photography. During our Saturday double-show, audiences were able to enjoy gourmet coffee and specialty drinks from Kinder Sips, a small business owned by Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District alumna Gabrielle Kinder. In honor of the production, several drinks were even named after the show’s main characters.

The production also partnered with No1HungryinEHC, a woman-owned and operated nonprofit food pantry dedicated to feeding families in need throughout Egg Harbor City and surrounding communities. Through ticket sales, Cedar Creek Theatre donated $1,000 to support the organization’s efforts. The check was delivered on Thursday, March 12, by the three students who portrayed the show’s leading roles, offering them a meaningful opportunity to see how theatre can positively impact their community.

Over the course of the production weekend, nearly 2,000 audience members attended the show across four public performances and a special preview performance for Cedar Creek High School students as well as middle school students from Mullica Township and Port Republic. Audience feedback was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting not only the talent of our students but also the relevance of the show’s themes.

Adding to the sense of community, several Cedar Creek Theatre alumni returned to the stage for cameo appearances throughout the run. A different former student appeared each evening, offering current performers a chance to share the stage with those who once stood in their shoes.

Productions like 9 to 5 remind us that theatre can do more than entertain. It can celebrate community, uplift local voices, support small businesses, and inspire the next generation of artists and leaders. At Cedar Creek Theatre, we are proud to use the arts as a way to connect our students with the world around them, and to remind our audiences that creativity and community go hand in hand.

How have you seen arts education impact your students? What moments or outcomes stand out to you?

The greatest part of my job is seeing the growth in my students’ confidence and overall abilities. I see first auditions that are filled with nerves turn into fully realized performances with informed choices and complete commitment to their character and story. I see students come alive on stage in ways they don’t allow themselves to come alive in their classrooms. I hear academic teachers talking about how so-and-so are so quiet in class and how impressed they are with the personality showcased in that same shy student’s onstage persona. I watch the students learn how to creatively problem-solve in real time when things don’t go the way they are meant to, whether that manifests in missed entrances, dropped lines, or broken props. I watch the students help one another and work as a team so that no one is left in the dust. I meet parents who tell me that their student has found a home in our program and seem happier than ever. That one always means the most because I found my place in MY high school theatre program. Little did I know that it would set me on my life’s journey to become a high school theatre teacher myself.

What does showing up for your students through the arts mean to you?

As a classroom teacher, showing up for my students starts when I first meet them. I truly give time to each of my students and try to connect with them. I want to know them and working in the theatre allows us to get to know each other on a deeper level than you would find in most other classes. I follow the same rules I set for the students (keeping those phones away!) and I do my best to ensure my classroom is a safe space for self-expression and creativity.

As a director, showing up for my students means being prepared in the rehearsal space. I allow students to make mistakes, try new things, and settle into their work on their own time. Showing up for them also means that I hold them accountable to high standards. They sign contracts and make commitments that I take seriously. If those commitments are broken, there are consequences up to and including being removed from the production.

Overall, showing up for my students includes being THERE. Being in the building physically, but being emotionally and intellectually available to them when they need me. The students are the best of all of us educators and the work we do is important, so I try to give them MY best every day we are together.