Interview: Tim Lynch-Theater Arts Director at Ridge HS in Basking Ridge

Tim Lynch has built one of the top high school theatre programs in New Jersey and is widely recognized for his bold risk-taking and artistic vision. Prior to Ridge High School, he served as Theatre Arts Director at Watchung Hills, earning the Best New Theatre Educator Award, and prior to that spent six years in the Summit High School theatre and forensics programs, coaching students to final rounds at the Harvard, Princeton, and Yale Tournaments, in speech and debate. In his first year at Ridge, he was named Best Director in by the Montclair State University Theatre Night Awards for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, while his production of Newsies won Best Musical from the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards; more recently, Radium Girls earned top play in the state by Montclair State University Theatre Night Awards. A recipient of both the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award for Outstanding Educator and the Paper Mill Playhouse Educational Impact Award, Mr. Lynch is especially proud of his work in special education, both in the Summit Public Schools for many years, and in the Paper Mill Lend Your Voice Project.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Tim Lynch about his career and the Theater Arts program at Ridge High School.

We'd love to know how your education influenced your career.

I was born, raised, and educated in the public schools of New Jersey, and my high school theatre teacher and choir teacher both changed my life as a young kid growing up in their programs. They were both deeply passionate individuals - very serious about challenging kids to reach their full potential. Through all of our productions, theatre competitions, concert performances; they worked their hearts out to create a family and home for all the kids. 

But most importantly, I really learned from them that it was only by pushing myself out of my comfort zone that I was ever going to change and grow. 

I think about them every time I walk into a classroom. I will never forget them.

Tell us a little about the team that works at Ridge to produce top high school theatre.

Oh, we have a phenomenal creative team at Ridge High School, and we are really supported in the arts by our administration and school board. In our theatre program, we have faculty members in charge of our costume crew, stage crew, and tech crew, who train and nurture the talents and artistic skills of our hard-working kids. We like to say “nobody does anything alone,” and that’s true. Our traditions like crew and cast speeches before every performance are where we reinforce that principle: we could not create the world of our show if we did not have each other.

What are some of the challenges of your position?

With a theatre program of over one hundred students, the main challenge is always ensuring that our students feel seen and heard; to feel supported and have their individual needs met. So this year we created “Spotlight Sessions” within the program. Students can sign up for one-on-one sessions to discuss their goals, share concerns, and offer feedback on how we can make the program stronger for them. Creating this outlet has been incredibly meaningful and has had a wonderful impact on our students. We’re human beings before we’re artists, and so implementing this has been vital. 

You are the recipient of impressive honors and awards.  How does it feel to be so well recognized by the community?

It's always a wonderful feeling when they recognize our hard work, and so important for the kids to be proud of their accomplishments. Our saying that we go by in our program is to relish in the joy in the journey, not the accolades or applause. While the award nights are always a special feeling, it's even more special throughout the rehearsal process; to see a kid surprise themselves with what they are capable of, that is the winning moment that we strive for.

I do believe that the award organizations in New Jersey do important work. In addition to the opportunities and scholarships they provide, they have raised the standard of excellence for New Jersey theatre programs, as well as my level of directorship. I know that I am a better educator every year because of those programs.

(The Company of Radium Girls-Fall of 2024, Photo by Rebecca Nowalski)

Are there any particular musical or drama shows that are your personal favorites?  Please tell us about a few.

If we're talking about our productions here at Ridge, each one of them is a personal favorite for their own reasons, but several come to mind. I'm very proud of our production of Radium Girls, because of all that we created, such as our movement choreography, projections, and glow in the dark costumes. The technically challenging Noises Off really felt like we were training for the Olympics. And we most recently produced Peter Pan and Wendy, and I don't think I've ever had a more meaningful process with the students. They were open-hearted and willing to try anything throughout our rehearsals. Each day we laughed, cried, and changed as people! There's no better feeling than that. 

What advice do you have for students that want to pursue a career in theatre beyond high school?

Two things: “be relentless” and “define in your soul what you were born to do.”

I have found that it's very rare that opportunities come to us in a neat little package. It's only after being persistent that people really take notice and give us that chance. So be relentless! 

Secondly, really define in your soul what your calling is in life; what your talents are. I have found that when you do that, rejection will not affect you as much, because you have that inner confidence that you know you were born to do this!

What do you envision as the future of the drama program?

It's very special when alumni come back and talk about how the success they've found in college or as a young adult was because of the skills they gained in our theatre classes and program. So I think it's significant that our program is creating pathways for our kids; a wonderful stepping stone. As I look to the future of our theatre program, it's our mission to set these kids up to be the strongest communicators they can be in their academic, personal, professional lives. The training our students receive in the Ridge Performing Arts program will help them be successful in any career they choose to pursue. We teach them to use their voice to speak up for what they believe in. Funny enough, that message of standing up for what you believe in is in each of our shows.

Anything else, absolutely anything you want our readers to know.

I just feel that being a theatre teacher is the greatest job in the world. And I'm so thankful to my students, who join me each year on the joyful journey of telling stories and creating art. As a teacher, you get to go to work every day and work with the most wonderful kids, and I would never do anything else. 

For more information on Ridge High School's Drama Club, please visit Ridge High School Drama Club https://www.ridgedramaclub.com/ and follow in Instagram @Ridgehsdramaclub.