HF-L’s Raegan Banker, Ava Youngblut, Lita Brady and Claire Connors perform the scene “A Lovely Night” from their production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella HF-L’s Raegan Banker, Ava Youngblut, Lita Brady and Claire Connors perform the scene “A Lovely Night” from their production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Photo by Tricia Connors
Area students participating in their school musical productions this year were recognized earlier last month at the 28th Annual Stars of Tomorrow Celebration Gala, put on by Rochester Broadway Theatre League, which recognizes student achievement in musical theatre productions performed by high schools around the region, including high schools in Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Genesee, Orleans, Steuben, Yates and Wyoming counties.
The ceremony was held on Friday, May 8, at the West Herr Auditorium Theatre in Rochester.
Honeoye Falls-Lima’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella received several honors. The biggest was The Showstopper Honor as one of the 10 best productions among large schools (high school student enrollment of 500 or more). HF-L also garnered recognition with an Achievement in Theatrical Storytelling honor, Achievement in Acting Ensemble, Achievement in Vocal Ensemble, Achievement in Dance Ensemble, Achievement in Production Crew and Achievement in Production Design. Five students were recognized with Achievement in a Leading Role: Claire Connors (Cinderella), Mikey Ruff (Prince Topher), Maeve Connors (Marie/Fairy Godmother), Ava Youngblut (Charlotte) and Raegan Banker (Gabrielle). In addition, Kai Ferraro (for his construction of the puppet giant) and the members of the Knights Ensemble received “Tip of the Hat” recognition for their achievements in supporting roles.
Claire Connors (singer), Maeve Connors (dancer) and Ruff (dancer) were in the Opening Group Dance Number. Each of the 40 schools in the RBTL Stars of Tomorrow program performs a scene from its show and HF-L’s scene was “A Lovely Night” with Claire Connors, Youngblut, Banker and Lita Brady (Stepmother).
“I am super proud of the kids,” artistic director Nathaniel Niemi said. “The kids were super excited. When we were announced as among the top 10 shows for the large schools, there were a lot of high-fives and the kids were just super-excited. During rehearsal for the scene “A Lovely Night”, the girls were looking up at the balcony and were kind of in awe. The Stars of Tomorrow program is so nice because it doesn’t just recognize kids in the lead roles but kids like Kai who built the puppet and the Knights ensemble. It was just really special.”
As part of the program, RBTL hosts NYC Bound, a competitive audition process designed to select only two students from across the area to represent the Rochester area at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (better known as the Jimmy Awards), which is held in June at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Out of around 300 eligible student performers, only 40 were chosen to compete in the NYC Bound competition and HF-L students snagged two spots as Banker and Youngblut were chosen among those top 40 students. Although neither moved into the round of 20, it was still quite an honor for both girls.
Lima Christian School’s cast of Disney’s Newsies perform the scene “Once and For All” (photo below) at the Stars of Tomorrow ceremony. Photo by Tricia Connors
Lima Christian School’s production of Disney’s Newsies also received recognition. LCS received The Showstopper Honor as one of the 10 best productions among small schools (high school enrollment of 500 students or less). LCS collected awards for Achievement in Theatrical Storytelling, Achievement in Acting Ensemble, Achievement in Vocal Ensemble, Achievement in Dance Ensemble, Achievement in Production Crew and Achievement in Production Design. Six students earned Achievement in a Leading Role honors: Samuel Parks (as Jack Kelly), Owen Teitsworth (as Davey), Jenna Warsaw (as Crutchie), Rebekah Lakra (as Medda Larkin), Molly Teitsworth (as Katherine Plummer) and Joshua Lakra (as Joseph Pulitzer). In addition, four students were recognized with “Tip of the Hat” honors for achievement in a supporting role: Olivia Kennell (as Race), Caleb Warsaw (as Romeo), Gavin McCarty (Spot Conlon) and David Dils (Wiesel). Three students, Sophia Britton, Brielle Hammond and Eden Settle performed in the opening number of the Stars of Tomorrow ceremony. LCS students performed “Once and For All” as the scene from the show.
“Honestly, I was so proud of the students,” artistic director Bethany Warsaw said. “They worked incredibly hard on Newsies, which we presented back in December, and it was so nice to see them recognized for their hard work.
It was a special experience to be able to perform on stage at the West Herr Auditorium in front of 2,500 people and the kids loved it.”
Wheatland-Chili’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid received a number of honors. The show collected Achievement in Vocal Ensemble, Achievement in Dance Ensemble, Achievement in Production Crew and Achievement in Production Design. Four girls were recognized with Achievement in a Leading Role honors: Katie Smith (Ariel), Isani Rattray (as Sebastian), Madeline Russell (as Ursula) and Kira DeBruyne (as Scuttle). Three students received “Tip of the Hat” for achievement in a supporting role: Ella Cullum (as Flotsam), Maryn Taylor (as Jetsam) and Avery Zimber (as Flounder). Three students, Ella Cullum, Elizabeth Fugle and Kaitlyn Miles participated in the opening number. W-C performed “Under the Sea” as its show scene.
“The kids were really proud and excited to have their hard work recognized,” W-C artistic director Amanda Petrella-Christ said.
