I met with Mr. Limone who is the Chairperson of the Fine and Performing Arts, and the advisor for the high school’s Drama Club. Mr. Limone joined the Carle Place community in 2018 after the previous Chairperson, Mrs. Russo, retired. I asked him a series of questions to help the community better get to know him. 

I first asked Mr. Limone why he decided to join the Carle Place staff. He said that it was always his goal to find a job on Long Island, to be closer to where he lived. He used to drive 200 miles a day to go to work. In addition, he stated that he was not looking specifically for this job, but instead for a variety of jobs in school administration at the district level. However, when he found this job, Limone said, “This job was a dream job for me because I would get to continue teaching theater and continue directing and running the theater program. I would also get to step into administration and lead a department.” To continue talking about his position as a Chairperson of the Fine and Performing Arts, I asked him what are some changes he would like to see happen in the art, theater, and music programs. He responded with, “ My philosophy on change is that there is no way that at the end of a year, or in five years, that this program is going to look the same as it did if Mrs. Russo was still running this program. In some ways, it’s either going to have grown and be a better department, or it is going to lose some of what it had.” He understands that a “better” change is a judgmental term, that maybe not everyone may think his changes are good. On the subject of theater, one change he explains is the time commitment. In the music program, he says, “Hopefully the music department is growing in the right direction…we started taking a look at scheduling conflicts for classes for students, and we really tried our best to fit music into student’s busy schedule.” In regards to art, he notes that it is key for the art courses to follow a curriculum that starts with studio art, drawing and painting, to advance drawing and painting, and so on. 

Mr. Limone is very passionate about theater and the school plays. If you take one look at his office, it is evident with the countless numbers of Playbills on his wall. I asked him what benefits a student would have for being involved with the school plays. He said, “If kids are open to taking a risk, and maybe if public speaking makes them nervous, or speaking in front of the class, and they want to overcome this challenge, the theater program would be the place to do that. I think it can be an opportunity to face some fears.” He also notes that you would learn some skills that whether you want to be an actor or not, would always benefit you in other aspects of your life. To follow up, I asked him what he thinks is the most important lesson kids can learn from being in the school plays. “I think there is great value in the camaraderie that comes from being apart of a team that has created art together.” He compares this with being on a sports team: instead of a team that is on an athletic field and is playing for the benefit of the team, it is a team that is creating art for an audience. “There is a different layer of the experience when there is ultimately a culminating piece of art that is being shared with an audience, for the audience’s consumption for them to reflect on, to think upon, to brighten them up, or make them laugh.” The idea of a team in this sense, is unique to the arts.

If you have already read the Crossroads article written by Lauren Deninno, you would know that Godspell is the next Winter Musical! I asked him to explain what Godspell is about and to explain why he chose it. He chose it because it is a unique piece of theater, one that can provide the students with an opportunity to do things in a different style from what they have done here over the recent years. The premise of Godspell is the surrounding of the question, “Is there a God?” The play does not answer the question, but Mr. Limone said that the play asks the question, “If someone, like Jesus, who lived 2,000 years ago, came around today, what would happen to the world? How would society treat this person?” He also notes that the play uses passages from the Bible to tell the story of what would happen to this man in 2019. Some other shows that Mr. Limone wants to do is Urinetown, which he says is a really funny musical with interesting character work, and has great songs. In addition, he is considering Pippin, Animal Farm, which is on the heavier side, and Seussical, which he says is a fun show with lots of opportunities to cast lots of people.

Mr. Limone started acting as a young child. When I asked him what started his love for acting, he said, “In elementary school, I remember little shows that my classroom teacher would do. Especially in 3rd grade, we did a play for almost every season. There was something about performing, with laughter and an exchange between the audience and the people performing that even from 3rd grade, I knew I loved theater.” His favorite musical that he has performed in is Jesus Christ Superstar, and he played Pontius Pilate. Some additional memorable roles he has played as was Bobby in Company, Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Aldo in the Italian American Reconciliation. His favorite theatrical experience is in A Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, and he played Brick. 

As the Drama Club Advisor, he took his club to LIU Post’s Stage the Change. “The point of the trip was to show students that theater can be a vehicle for social stage, or to challenge political establishments. I think theater is a time honored tradition of forcing society to look at the wrongs, or look at the places where society can improve.” In regards to an upcoming trip in January, there is a New York State Theater Educators Associations Annual Student Conference, which is a three day trip full of workshops and opportunities to meet other kids from around the state.

Mr. Limone says that coming down to see the shows is a great way for faculty to see their students in another way. “They may be shocked to see this quiet kid who sits in row three, who doesn’t really participate much in class, and they come and see the show and they see this person bursting off the stage.” Lastly, he wants to let everyone know that everyone is always welcomed and encouraged to come and see the shows.