For Chatham High School student Madison Feeman, musical theater has been a defining part of her life since she was six years old.
“I had been dancing since I was two, and through my dance studio I was offered the opportunity to join a musical theatre class where we were doing Seussical,” Madison said. “That was really my gateway into theatre.”
Her first experience onstage came with an unexpected challenge. During the week of her first show, Madison had her first seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy. Despite this, she returned to the stage by the end of the week to perform.
“That was really the sign to me and my family that this was going to be my thing for a very long time,” she said.
Since then, theater has become much more than an extracurricular activity for Madison. It has become a passion and a community.
“One of my favorite parts is feeling like I am part of something that is bigger than myself,” she said. “Getting to stand on these stages with people I call my family and give a performance that is going to be viewed, interpreted, and hopefully felt by all kinds of different people with different stories is one of the most rewarding things you can do.”
Madison also uses theater to give back to her community. Through Paper Mill Playhouse, she performs for children with special needs, helping make theater more accessible. She is also involved in Theater Leadership For Change, a student nonprofit in Chatham that donates funds from a student-led production to charity. This year, Madison will direct the production.
“I wake up every day wanting to push myself to be better,” she said. “The work that comes with being a performer is actually one of my favorite parts.”
Over the years, Madison has performed a variety of roles, including Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Mona in Chicago, Donkey in Shrek, Shelby in John Proctor Is the Villain, Hamlet in Hamlet, and Mary in Oh, Mary!.
Some roles have been especially meaningful. This summer, Madison played Hamlet, a role she never expected to have the opportunity to perform.
“Hamlet is my favorite play of all time, and it is a role I never thought I would get to touch because I am a woman,” she said. “I loved getting to play such an incredibly complex character in a play that has been one of my favorites for years.”
At CHS, Madison is preparing for another special role: Viola in Twelfth Night. The play was the first Shakespeare production she ever saw and helped spark her love for Shakespeare.
“Getting to play the role that started that love, with my favorite director and people, is unbelievably special,” she said.
Another production that remains particularly important to Madison is CHS’s The Music Man. She said the experience came during a difficult period in her life and helped her find a sense of belonging.
“It was the first time I felt like I really had a place, a home, and a family within theatre,” she said. “That is something that can never be taken away from me.”
Madison loves both plays and musicals, finding something different in each.
“There is nothing I love as much as reading plays and getting to develop my own interpretation of a character,” she said. “BUT there is also nothing like hearing the pit warm up and then getting to be part of an ensemble in a musical.”
Her dedication to theater has also taught her an important lesson about perfection. Madison said she often puts enormous pressure on herself to give the best performance possible.
“Your determination and drive are both a gift and your enemy,” she said. “I need to remind myself that I cannot be perfect. I cannot always be the best, but I can give my best, and that is good enough.”
After Chicago, Madison began approaching performances differently, focusing less on perfection and more on becoming the character.
“When I step into a theatre, I am 1000% that character and 0% Madison Feeman,” she said. “I do that to ensure that Madison cannot ruin the story of the character with her desire for perfection.”
She added, “Oftentimes, the characters we portray are not perfect. They are trying to tell a genuine story through their imperfections. So why should I add a layer of perfection to a character that was never supposed to have it?”
Outside of theater, Madison works in suicide prevention and mental health advocacy through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
She also appreciates the support she has received from Chatham High School’s theater program.
“Chatham High School has one of the most beautiful theatre programs in New Jersey,” she said. “We are blessed with a stunning auditorium, wonderful directors, crew, music directors, classes that we can take, and so much more that allows me to develop my craft.”
While she hopes the school can provide more flexibility for students involved in theater outside of school, Madison remains grateful for the opportunities she has been given.
Ultimately, her passion for performing continues to drive her.
“I always want to do more and become better, so that drive makes me just figure it out and do it,” she said.
With Twelfth Night ahead, Madison has one simple message for the Chatham community:
“Come see Twelfth Night!!!!!!”
