Jisette Duran
Two Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School alumni turned entertainment powerhouses – comedian Mike Marino ‘81 and Emmy-award winning director/producer Daniel Catullo III ‘90 – are joining forces to tape a TV comedy special in the exact place where it all began: the High School auditorium.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School alumni to film ‘Back 2 School’ comedy special at their alma mater
Public encouraged to join the special TV taping on Saturday, May 10
Scotch Plains-Fanwood, NJ – Two Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School alumni turned entertainment powerhouses – comedian Mike Marino ‘81 and Emmy-award winning director/producer Daniel Catullo III ‘90 – are joining forces to tape a TV comedy special in the exact place where it all began: the High School auditorium.
The show, titled “Mike Marino Back 2 School,” is a homecoming celebration for both – filled with laughter, nostalgia, and a shared appreciation for the foundation of SPFHS. Members of the public are encouraged to purchase tickets for the event, scheduled for Saturday, May 10 at 8 p.m. in the SPFHS Auditorium. All proceeds will benefit the music and theater programs in the district.
“This is personal now,” Catullo said. “I’ve filmed shows all over the world, but never did I think I’d be shooting a TV special at my hometown high school. The last time I was on that stage was for Battle of the Bands in high school. It’s surreal – and incredibly special – to come home.”
Both Marino and Catullo were deeply involved in SPFHS’s music and theater programs as students. Their paths crossed for the first time during last year’s Hall of Fame induction; Marino commented at the ceremony that he and Catullo should work together on a comedy special.
That fateful meeting sparked the idea and relationship behind the filming of “Back 2 School”.
Mike Marino
Known as “New Jersey’s Bad Boy of Comedy,” Marino got his start in SPFHS’s Repertory Theatre, Drama Club, Moonglowers, and as a drummer in the marching band. At age 16, he became a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City after graduating from SPFHS and starred in over 200 national television commercials. He received a Best Actor Clio Award (the “Oscars of advertising”) nomination.
Adding to his success in film, theatre, commercials and soaps, Marino turned to comedy, touring in every major comedy club, theatre, casino and event center from New York to Los Angeles and around the world. He was inducted in the New Jersey Comedy Hall of Fame in 2008 and won the USO Bob Hope Comedy Award in 2015. Even amid his touring, he still visits his home in Scotch Plains.
Daniel Catullo
Catullo, also a drummer and theatre enthusiast during his high school years, grew up right behind SPFHS. Instead of waking up every morning to an alarm clock, he preferred the sounds of the marching band. He played on the high school football team and was a member of the Repertory Theatre.
After high school, Catullo moved to California where he made an impressive career, directing and producing concert specials and documentaries for world-renowned artists including Alicia Keys, The Foo Fighters, Andrea Bocelli, Brad Paisley, Billie Eilish, Chance the Rapper, Post Malone, Guns N' Roses, Usher and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco.
Catullo has won seven Emmy Awards, including three wins for his hazing documentaries “Breathe, Nolan, Breathe” (2020) “45 Mill Street” (2023) and “Death Of A Pledge (2024).
He founded 10 Lives Studios, which will now film Marino’s comedy special.
For both Marino and Catullo, the SPFHS Auditorium holds powerful memories that came flooding back when they visited for the Hall of Fame induction last year.
“This isn’t just a comedy special,” Marino said. “It’s a full circle moment. I want to give back to the place that shaped me.”
Catullo’s team from California will be working all week to transform the stage into a 1981 classroom and the auditorium into a real comedy club experience. The atmosphere will match Marino’s antics as he’ll take the audience through his teenage misadventures, Italian-American family, and enough laughs to make you wish you’d paid attention in class. Central to the fun will be the SPFHS marching band and other surprise guests.
“We want Scotch Plains to win an Emmy,” Catullo said. “Our careers started on that high school stage. Now, it’s time to shine a spotlight on the town and school that helped launch us.”
Details:
10 Lives Studios presents “Mike Marino Back 2 School”
Special TV Taping
Saturday, May 10 at 8 p.m.
SPFHS Auditorium – 667 Westfield Road, Scotch Plains, NJ
Tickets available at: Spfhs.booktix.com
General Admission: $25.00 + $1.84 fee
Show will be filmed for television so audience is encouraged to dress accordingly, preferably in solid colors and no logos.
- SPF High School