Miss Penney, the newest addition to the English department at MLHS, currently teaches one section each of English 11 and Intro to Drama. In addition to directing the Fall Play (Peter & the Starcatcher) and the upcoming Spring Musical (Beauty & the Beast), she will also be teaching one section of Public Speaking in the Spring semester. Miss Penney hails from her home state of Vermont, and has been teaching, as well as directing, for close to 10 years.
Q: What inspired you to start in acting and drama?
A: “I’ve always loved stories, and I always wanted to become the character in the story because I like them so much that I just wanted to be that person. So I was like, ‘Well, the only way you can do that is if you become an actor.’ So I just started from there.”
Q: What is your impression of MLHS so far?
A: “My impression is that people are really put together here, which I enjoy very much. I like the discipline, I like the appreciation of academics, which is one thing that drew me here to begin with. It is a wonderful educational institution and place that I am proud to work at.”
Q: What courses do you teach and/or programs do you run?
A: “Right now I’m teaching an English 11 course, American Literature, an Intro to Drama course, as well as a Public Speaking course [next semester] and hopefully some more theater stuff in the future. I also run the Fall Drama, the Spring Musical as well as the Drama Club (where we do some competitions).”
Since you’re from Vermont, how are you adjusting to New Jersey?
A: “I miss Vermont every day. It was kind of a soft entry into New Jersey for me because I had lived in the city for two years, and then I moved here. This is a breath of fresh air for me compared to New York City. I grew up in the forests and hills of Vermont, and while it’s just not quite the forests and hills of Vermont, it’s much better than New York! I’m still figuring out New Jersey and how New Jersey rolls, but yeah, I like it.”
Q: What hopes do you have for the future of the Drama Club?
A: “I have a lot of dreams to build in this program, and I’d like it to become a respected and worthwhile entity that we … could even be known for…To be a program that people recognize when they hear about our school. I would love to see the arts flourish here in Mountain Lakes. I foresee building a musical that’s so grand and wonderful that it really draws in this community and beyond. I’m hoping that someday we can become at least marginally competitive with other schools, not just in the area but in the state because I think there’s a lot of talent here that’s untapped, and I’m really excited to see it!”
Q: If you had to describe MLHS to a new student, what would you say?
A: “You should come and join the theater department, it’s a good time! The students are so friendly, especially if you join them in a program that they are all very passionate about. The staff is very supportive and staff members here really love what they do in their subject area, which is something that I really appreciate and I think new students would too.”
Q: What is your favorite book and why?
A: “My favorite book is The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I read that book when I was ten, and at about the same time, the school that I was going to happen[ed] to be doing that as a play. I fell in love with the story before I knew that they were doing the play, but of course, I was obsessed with the idea of being in it. And long story short, I got in the play as one of the lead characters, which was really exciting.
I was one of the youngest people in the play and there were about 120 [student-actors]. This was a turning point for me as an actor and a lover of stories; later I grew to kind of be a little obsessed with all the other Chronicles of Narnia—just because I’m blown away by just how well someone can write an allegory, and I found it so clever and impressive. I also like the fact that it takes place in a fantasy world, and it’s magical, which is what I try and create in the theater.”
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