(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- More than 100 high school plays across New Jersey entered into the Montclair State University Theatre Night Awards on May 21, 2026. Each year, Ridge High School consistently ranks among the top high school theatre programs in New Jersey. Often winning Best Direction of a Play, Best Musical, among other accolades at both the Montclair State University Theatre Night Awards, and the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards over the past few years. This year added to that legacy.
Ridge High School's production of Peter Pan and Wendy, which premiered in November of 2025, received the top prize for Outstanding Production of a Play, for the second year in a row. Ridge also won Best Play last year for their production of Radium Girls. In addition, they received awards for Best Scenic Design, Outstanding Lead Actress (for Maisy Karins performance as Wendy Darling). They were also honored for their work in last year's musical Cinderella, for the awards of Best Costume Design, Best Music Direction, and student Anti Garcia won for her performance as the stepsister Charlotte.
Aarav Mathur reflect on playing John Darling. "John is a type of character which I haven't really had the chance to play before–his motivations and fears are all far more complex. Because of that, playing him requires you to adopt different physicalities, facial expressions, and vocal affects which vary drastically depending on the situation in which he finds himself. As such, the rehearsal process involved a lot of trial and error to discover exactly how we wanted the character to behave, but it was all worth it!"
"Out of all the characters I've played, I think John is the one to which I've felt the strongest connection," continued Mathur. "It's easy to see some of his behavior as silly or peculiar and leave it at that, but trying to understand him made me recognize a lot of similarities between his personality and my own, and I know that there are many others who can relate to him. As such, I've learned not only about the character, but also about myself and having empathy for others."
Ananya Patel was nominated for playing Tiger Lily - an important role for her. "Tiger Lily was my first ever lead/supporting role. When I found out that I got it, at first I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to do it, but I also knew that I was willing to work as hard as I had to. I've learnt that being prepared is one of the most important things I can do. I'd always be asking questions about my character, going back to my script, as using all my time at rehearsal to ensure that I portrayed her in a way that was unique and did justice to her character."
"She has also taught me a few things, most notably about the importance of not being afraid of who you are and of standing up for what is right," added Patel. "I was able to become more confident, and wasn't afraid to use my voice. I learnt that I could do anything if I worked hard enough for it. During this process, I not only found the character, but I also found parts of myself on the way."
Director, Tim Lynch looks back on the experience. "We had the time of our lives creating and building this play in our theatre program, and what an honor from Montclair State that they've awarded us Best Play once again. We feel like the luckiest teachers in the world to be able to go to school every day and create theatre with our students! Participating in the theatre program is the greatest thing that our students can do while they're in high school; it gives them an anchor, really helps them find themselves, and they form a built-family and community of friends."
Ridge High School is located at 268 South Finley Ave in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. For more on the Ridge Drama Club, click here
