Joe Maruzzo remembers the exact moment in the 1970s when he was inspired to be an actor. He was lying on the stage at Sachem North when he looked up, and the word “home” vividly appeared on the ceiling.
On Monday, he returned home and was back in that same auditorium for the first time in 48 years, speaking to Sachem drama students as part of an intimate actor’s workshop.
“The drama teacher, Ms. Winters, asked for someone to get up and do an improvisation,” she said. “She read from a book, a war book. I was on the stage acting out a scene. After it was over, I was lying on my back, and the word home descended on me from the ceiling. I went to the guidance counselor and asked about acting colleges. I applied, got in, and that was it. It was a spiritual experience.”
Maruzzo, who graduated in 1975, went to Purchase College after Sachem to refine his skills before setting off on a film career that’s going 35 years strong. From CSI and Law & Order to Blue Bloods and Murder She Wrote, he’s had a strong run. His seven-episode recurring role as Joey Peeps in The Sopranos from 2002-2004 has garnered modern praise.
His work has appeared on television, film, and theater. He is also a screenwriter and playwright and is actively involved with The Actor’s Studio in New York City.
A football player at Sachem and voted best-looking by his Class of ’75 peers, he toured his high school campus and relived memories from the building, football field, and stage that helped define a significant period of his life.
Rather than dwell on his acting accomplishments, he spent 45 minutes talking to students about their lives and what makes them tick. He explained that his goal was to elicit emotion, a critical element in their ability to harness feelings into action on stage.
The workshop was organized by Sachem Alumni Association President/Founder Chris R. Vaccaro, ’04.
