And the winner is … the local theater scene.
The 11th annual Majestic Awards will be handed out at 7 p.m. Monday at Pottsville Area High School. The awards, which recognize excellence in musical theater in Schuylkill County, have upped the quality of the shows put on by the county’s high school theater groups, according to Sandy Kost-Sterner, coordinator of the awards show.
“The Majestic Awards have been a vital part of increasing the performance levels of the high school shows. The bar is being set higher and higher each year with schools and their individual cast members working to improve the various aspects of musical theater,” Kost-Sterner said.
The awards show is presented by BB&T Bank. Tickets are $8 and are available at the door Monday or by calling the Majestic Theater office at 570-628-4647. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Ten high schools are vying for awards in 22 categories. Leading the way is Pottsville Area High School’s “Shrek the Musical” and Tamaqua Area High School’s “Seussical” with 20 nominations each. Blue Mountain High School’s production of “The Sound of Music” follows with 19 nominations.
Pottsville Area enters the award show as reigning winner of “Outstanding Overall Production,” having won last year for its production of “Les Miserables.”
Maria Malek, director, said they chose “Shrek” as the high school musical this year because they wanted a show that was the opposite of the heaviness of “Les Miserables.”
“We wanted to showcase whimsy and lightheartedness. The students had an awesome time playing comedy and were really able to bring their own humor to their characters,” Malek said.
At Tamaqua Area, the same philosophy went into choosing “Seussical” as this year’s musical.
Adriane Drum, drama club director, said they try to perform a show that is different from the previous year to keep it fresh and interesting for various types of people. The first concern addressed in making the choice is finding the right show for the cast.
“There are so many wonderful shows out there, but many of them are only the right choice when certain stars align in a particular year. You have to know your cast and talent and choose the show that will best utilize and showcase those talents,” Drum said. “I also try to vary the type of shows we do to help the students in the club try different genres and grow as performers.”
Harry D. Lucas, theater arts director at North Schuylkill High School, agreed that part of producing a show is helping the students grow in the material. This year, the group performed “Guys and Dolls.”
“Like many of our local schools, North Schuylkill really strives to give each of our students a great theater experience from auditions to performances. We really want students to learn all aspects of theater production,” Lucas said. “We want to make sure our audience has a great experience at our shows, and we want to make sure we produce something that the North Schuylkill community looks at with pride.”
Lucas said large audiences attended the performances, which is a sign of the support the group receives from the community and the growing interest in theater arts in the county. He said more students are auditioning for the group’s shows and more students are expressing excitement in wanting to be a part of the program.
The growth in theater arts in Schuylkill County is prevalent, according to the directors.
Lucas said he attributes some of the improvement to the students going to each other’s performances.
“They really support one another in their theatrical work and I feel that makes all of us want to do our best,” Lucas said.
Like North Schuylkill, Drum said attendance was high at Tamaqua Area, saying it was the highest she has seen during her time as director.
“As more and more patrons come out to see the show and bring their children, I do believe that many of our local high schools are seeing a growth in the number of students in the programs,” Drum said. “As the quality of the shows continues to improve, more and more students want to be a part of the amazing groups they see performing in their schools.”
Malek said the high school programs are evolving. They are exploring new shows while finding new ways of producing classic shows.
She attributes the growth to an increased awareness in the community theater scene.
“So many of the area high school students are taking what they learn from their high school directors and programs and sharing that knowledge and experience with community venues. It is truly an exciting time,” Malek said.
Kost-Sterner said the increased performance level gives the schools goals to work toward in the future.
“It is great to see the enthusiasm of the students at the awards night. It is definitely a night of recognition and celebration,” she said.
Other awards to be presented Monday are the Spirit of Theater awards, sponsored by Sophy Jewelers. Each school chooses a student to receive the award, which applauds the individual who has contributed to the performing arts program in their school with dedication, enthusiasm and hard work. The student can be a member of the cast, stage crew or pit band.
For more information, visit the Majestic Theater’s website at www.majestictheater.net.
List of nominees:
Outstanding leading actress: Lauren Tidmore as Maria Rainer in “The Sound of Music,” Blue Mountain; Makenna Copeland as Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde,” Nativity; Kali Antalosky as Miss Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls,” North Schuylkill; Arrianna Daniels as The Donkey in “Shrek the Musical,” Pottsville Area; Leanne Rooney as Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Shenandoah Valley; Olivia Stettler as JoJo in “Seussical,” Tamaqua Area
Outstanding supporting actress: Pepper Joulwan as Mother Abbess in “The Sound of Music,” Blue Mountain; Reiley Lonergan as Alice in “The Addams Family,” Minersville Area; Chloe Manus as Vivienne Kensington in “Legally Blonde,” Nativity; Lydia Paulukonis as Paulette in “Legally Blonde,” Nativity; Zoe Snyder as Mayzie in “Seussical,” Tamaqua Area; Gabrielle Quandel as Paulette in “Legally Blonde,” Tri-Valley
Outstanding leading actor: Matthew Reed as Albert Peterson in “Bye Bye Birdie,” Mahanoy Area; Liam Wolfe as Sky Masterson in “Guys and Dolls,” North Schuylkill; Anthony Wojciechowsky as Shrek in “Shrek the Musical,” Pottsville Area; Nate Bates, The Baker in “Into the Woods,” Schuylkill Haven Area; Nick Twardzik as Sweeney Todd in “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Shenandoah Valley; George Hegedus as Horton the Elephant in “Seussical,” Tamaqua Area
Outstanding supporting actor: Cameron Greenawalt as Max Detweiler in “The Sound of Music,” Blue Mountain; Josh Donley as Fester in “The Addams Family,” Minersville Area; Sean Crane as Professor Callaghan in “Legally Blonde,” Nativity; Taylor Brigade as Lord Farquuad in “Shrek the Musical,” Pottsville Area; Riley Guers as Judge Turpin in “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Shenandoah Valley; Spencer DePue as Mayor of Whoville in “Seussical,” Tamaqua Area
Outstanding female vocalist: Pepper Joulwan and Lauren Tidmore, both from Blue Mountain; Reiley Lonergan, Minersville Area; Makenna Copeland, Nativity; Sara Leibel as Fiona in “Shrek the Musical,” Pottsville Area; Hannah Betz as Gertrude in “Seussical,” Tamaqua Area
Outstanding male vocalist: Matthew Reed, Mahanoy Area; Liam Wolfe, North Schuylkill; Taylor Brigade, Pottsville Area; Nick Twardzik, Shenandoah Valley; George Hegedus, Tamaqua Area; Kieffer Quandel as Emmett in “Legally Blonde,” Tri-Valley
Outstanding character award: Megan Babinsky as Mae Peterson in “Bye Bye Birdie,” Mahanoy Area; Hannah Studlack as Grandma in “The Addams Family,” Minersville Area; Shane McGrath as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in “Guys and Dolls,” North Schuylkill; Maddie Kohutka as Gingy in “Shrek the Musical,” Pottsville Area; Chris Swantek as Adolfo Pirelli in “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Shenandoah Valley; Maxine Erdman as Enid Hoops in “Legally Blonde,” Tri-Valley
Outstanding duet: Pepper Joulwan and Lauren Tidmore, Blue Mountain, “My Favorite Things;” Makenna Copeland and Patrick Crane, Nativity, “Legally Blonde;” Kali Antalosky and Bryel Frasch, North Schuylkill, “Marry the Man;” Nate Bates and Lydia Nester, Schuylkill Haven Area, “It Takes Two;” Leanne Rooney and Nick Twardzik, Shenandoah Valley, “A Little Priest;” George Hegedus and Olivia Stettler, Tamaqua Area, “Alone in the Universe”
Outstanding small ensemble: Pepper Joulwan, Rachel Laughlin, Celena Granito and Kelly Karpovich, Blue Mountain, “Maria;” Madison Ansbach, Megan Bisco, Hunter Freil and Lenny Zack, Mahanoy Area, “Hymn for a Sunday Evening;” Jadyn Anczarski, Shane McGrath and Devindra Singh, North Schuylkill,”Fugue for Tinhorns;” Madison Eroh, Sarah Leibel and Leigha Keitsock, Pottsville Area, “I Know It’s Today;” Nate Bates, Leeanna Gretsky, Sarah Hasenauer, Madison Hess and David Zimmerman, Schuylkill Haven Area, “Your Fault;” Hannah Betz, Abby Billig, Aicen Hull, Michaela Noftz and Zoe Snyder, Tamaqua Area, “Amazing Mayzie”
Outstanding ensemble: Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area
Outstanding scenic design: Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area
Outstanding lighting design: Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area
Outstanding achievement in costume design: Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area
Outstanding achievement in hair/makeup: Blue Mountain, Minersville Area, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley
Outstanding graphic design: Blue Mountain, Mahanoy Area, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area
Outstanding orchestra: Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Tamaqua Area, Tri-Valley
Outstanding choreography: Blue Mountain, Mahanoy Area, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area
Outstanding stage crew: Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area
Outstanding lobby design: Minersville Area, Nativity, Pottsville Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area, Tri-Valley
Outstanding production number: Blue Mountain, “Do-Re-Mi,” “The Sound of Music;” North Schuylkill, “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat,” “Guys and Dolls;” Pottsville Area, “Story of My Life,” “Shrek the Musical;” Schuylkill Haven Area, “Prologue,” “Into the Woods;” Shenandoah Valley, “City on Fire,” “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street;” Tamaqua Area, “The People vs. Horton the Elephant,” “Seussical”
Outstanding overall production: Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua Area
Outstanding director: Lauren Clauser, Blue Mountain; Harry Lucas, North Schuylkill; Maria Malek, Pottsville Area; Gloria Evert, Schuylkill Haven Area; Wendy Nicodemus and Sarah Yorke, Shenandoah Valley; Adriane Drum, Tamaqua Area