Lima Christian and Wheatland-Chili musicals also earn honors
HF-L artistic director CJ Tomaszewski and some members of the cast and crew of Hadestown at the Stars of Tomorrow ceremony. Photo provided by CJ Tomaszewski
BY DONNA MACKENZIE
The Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s (RBTL) Stars of Tomorrow program bestowed recognition on all three local high school spring musical productions this year as the program celebrated high school musicals from around the area during its 27th annual Recognition Ceremony on May 9.
Honeoye Falls-Lima’s production of Hadestown garnered recognition in eight categories. The show received honors as a Top 10 Production of the Year for large schools (500 students or more in the school), and for Excellence in Overall Production, Excellence in Acting Ensemble, Excellence in Vocal Ensemble, Excellence in Dance Ensemble, Excellence in Production Crew, Excellence in Production Design and Achievement in a Leading Role for Will Emerson (Orpheus), Kate Gabrielsen (Eurydice), Mikey Ruff (Hermes), Jenna Quinn (Persephone) and Zach Boehm (Hades). The only category that HF-L was not recognized in was Excellence in Student Orchestra.
“It was quite amazing,” artistic director CJ Tomaszewski said. “HF-L had not participated in the program in about 15 years. When I was a student at HF-L, we were not in the program but a friend of mine, Raelynn Bovenzi, and I would go to the Auditorium Theater to see the ceremony and I loved it. We had the opportunity to go back in and I surveyed the students and parents about it and they were all in favor. The other production team members were a bit hesitant because at one point it had gotten to be like a sports competition but they also agreed to go back into the program. It’s good motivation to work toward and be recognized outside of the echo chamber of family, friends, classmates and the community and, as an educator, it is a way of reflecting on what we are doing. The feedback from adjudicators was great, both for the production as a whole and for the students individually, what we did well and what we could do better. There were 48 schools across the Rochester region participating this year and adjudicators see them and to receive recognition as one of the top 10 productions of the year for large schools was surprising in a way because we are just barely above that 500 student threshold. To receive recognition in eight categories was pretty special.”
Two HF-L student performers, Class of 2025 graduates Will Emerson and Jenna Quinn, participated in the big opening number of the recognition ceremony with students from other participating schools prior to the category recognitions. But, there was even more to celebrate for HF-L.
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 were 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 Emerson and Ruff were chosen among those 40 students.
“To have two students chosen for that from one school was just incredible,” Tomaszewski said.
After learning they were selected as candidates for the NYC Bound competition at the Stars of Tomorrow recognition ceremony, Emerson and Ruff had just under two weeks to prepare three audition songs, write personal essays, complete detailed applications and rehearse for a group dance number, choreographed by Mandy Lynn Griffith. The NYC Bound competition was over two nights. The first night, May 21, they performed for adjudicators only. One of the songs had to be one that they performed in Hadestown while the other had to be from a qualifying show that was on a list that RBTL had compiled. Ruff sang Way Down Hadestown and the other audition song was Screw Loose from Crybaby in the auditions for the adjudicators. Then it was on to the public showcase on May 22 where they performed not just in front of the adjudicators but for an audience at the Auditorium Theater.
The group dance number was Something About This Night from Finding Neverland. During that group dance number, Ruff was front and center.
“It was a great way to meet people with similar interest and passion,” said Ruff, who will be the President of HF-L’s Drama Club this coming school year. “It really didn’t feel like a competition; everyone was rooting for each other. I found the adjudicator’s feedback to be incredible.”
Emerson sang Epic III, one of the numbers he performed in HF-L’s production of Hadestown, and I Am The One from the show Next to Normal in the auditions for the adjudicators and his three-person panel of judges was Holly Valentine (RBTL Director of Education and Community Engagement), professional actor John Bolton (who is a Brighton High graduate) and J Simmons (a well-known actor in the Rochester area community theatre world who also has professional credentials).
“It was fun to be able to do NYC Bound together with Mikey,” Emerson said. “The group dance number was a fun experience; I knew the choreographer Mandy Lynn Griffith, from another show that I had been in. We had a couple of rehearsals for the group dance number leading up to the public showcase. At the mini auditions for the adjudicators, after I had sung the two songs, both John and J asked me to sing Epic 3 one more time and to ground myself in the environment at the Auditorium Theater. So I sang it one more time and this time I did not look at the three judges until the end. When I looked at them at the end, both John and J had tears in their eyes. It was an incredible experience to perform for the three judges. I learned so much from it and the adjudicators gave us great feedback and it was such a supportive environment.”
After the group dance number at the public showcase, it was announced who had advanced to the next round, the Top Twenty. Emerson’s name was the third one announced and he then had to perform two songs for the judges and the public.
“We were put into a semicircle before the Top Twenty were revealed and were told that when the announcer called our name, we were to go the center of the stage, wave to family and friends and then go offstage,” Emerson said.
“I was the third one called. It was such a blur, but I ran to the center, waved and then ran offstage to find CJ, who was my accompanist, and get a mic and a headset. There was nervousness but I was also very grateful.”
Emerson did well in the Top Twenty and ultimately advanced to the final round of the Top 10 where he had to sing his third song, Left Behind from Spring Awakening, for the judges and audience.
“I was the first one called for the Top 10 and I was not expecting that,” Emerson said. “I went to the center, waved and then really had to run offstage because I had just two minutes before I had to go back on and sing the third song. There were so many emotions. To be in that caliber of talent in the Top 10 was amazing. I left everything that I could on that stage in the Top 10 final round and I am happy with that.”
Lima Christian School’s presentation of Anastasia captured eight honors as well. It was recognized as a Top 10 Production of the Year for small schools (those with under 500 students), for Excellence in Overall Production, Excellence in Acting Ensemble, Excellence in Vocal Ensemble, Excellence in Dance Ensemble, Excellence in Production Crew, Excellence in Production Design and Achievement in a Leading Role for Laurel LaBarca (Anya), Olivia Kennell (Countess Lily) and Jordyn Warsaw (Dowager Empress Maria). The only category that LCS did not receive recognition in was Excellence in Student Orchestra.
Wheatland-Chili’s production of Little Women received recognition for Excellence in Production Design and Achievement in a Leading Role by Katie Smith as Jo March.
