Full History of TIC TOC

TIC TOC Theatre and Art Formed in 1960, TIC TOC Theatre and Art’s primary objective was, and still is, “To Introduce Culture To Our Children”. Our original focus was children’s theater. However, within a year, TIC TOC expanded into fine arts. We collected framed prints of masterpieces and presented them gallerystyle to children from our member schools. Over the years, our membership has expanded to its current level of 14 elementary schools and three middle schools from Ridgewood, Glen Rock, HoHo-Kus, Midland Park, and Fair Lawn, New Jersey.

Our Theatre Series has a rich and varied history. We have proudly offered a wide range of experiences for young audiences. Performances have included philharmonic orchestras, ballet companies, jazz bands, and classical theater performances. In addition, several professional theater groups have created musical theater productions from well-loved books and literature. Examples have included such treats as Treasure Island, Oliver Twist, Les Miserables, Sleepy Hollow, and Anne of Greene Gables. Michael Cooper, the masked marvel, has graced our stage with his amazing masks. We have also been lucky to sponsor The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, with shows such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Our fine arts collections continue to grow. We now own nearly 300 framed prints and 18 special artifact collections, which rotate throughout our member elementary and middle schools. Volunteer parent docents present these works of art to the students for discussion and lead related craft projects in the classroom setting.

Over the years, TIC TOC has collaborated with school administration in an effort to allow our program to compliment their curriculum. For example, when students began studying the Mayan civilization, our “Southern Neighbors” special collection was born! The collection includes artifacts such as brightly colored fabric Molas, Jaina pottery, and vase fragments from Guatemala. Other special collections used in conjunction with school curriculum include the Civil War, Asian (Chinese, Indian, and Japanese), and African collections. Our annual Poetry Project was developed after a request from a former Ridgewood Superintendent to incorporate literacy with the arts. The Poetry Project gives students an opportunity to write poetry inspired by selected artwork. Their works are displayed in local public libraries during April’s National Poetry Month.

TIC TOC has been fortunate to have forged positive relationships with many local museums and organizations that have benefitted the children. Our “African” special collections (we have four) were given to us from the collections of The Society of African Missions in Tenafly, New Jersey. Mr. Charles Bordogna, curator of African collections at the Society, educated our docents on the objects in the collection to help prepare them for classroom presentations. With the help of Twig Johnson, curator of Native American collections at the Montclair Art Museum, we were able to develop our most popular special collections, “The Kathy Reiss Memorial Native American Collections”, which include Eastern Woodland Indians, Plains Indians, Southwest Indians and Pacific Northwest Indian artifacts. And finally, The Schoolhouse Museum in Ridgewood, which is part of the Ridgewood Historical Society, lends TIC TOC a “Schoolhouse Collection” that circulates reproductions of antique toys through the membership schools.

Looking to the future, TIC TOC continually seeks to expand our collections to capture more contemporaneous social themes. Recent collections include: “Contemporary Global Artists”, which focuses on living, internationally recognized artists and “Architecture”, which reflects basic architecture principles and international design styles. After more than 50 years of existence, TIC TOC hopes to continue to bring the appreciation of the arts to the children of our community!