By SHARON EBERSON
A who’s who of Pittsburgh theater artists served as presenters and cheered on students who were honored at Prime Stage Theatre’s fourth annual High School Drama Awards Monday night.
Awards in 16 categories were given to students featured in roles onstage and behind the scenes, interspersed with scenes from various productions.
Shady Side Academy Senior School was awarded Best Overall Production for Macbeth, with Jay Zhu taking home the award for Best Actress in the title role.
Lincoln Marshal of Fox Chapel Area High School won Best Actor for his role as Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner – one of three schools that performed scenes from that play. He gave a shout out to the other Whitesides, noting what a tough role it is for anyone to play.
Brady Bandik of Thomas Jefferson High won two awards, for lighting and special effects in the documentary-style mystery drama Trap.
Bringing the fun on Monday was Monteze Freeland, co-artistic director of City Theatre, served as emcee for the second consecutive year. The multi-hyphenate Point Park alum was one of several artists to note that their first Pittsburgh theater opportunity was in a Prime Stage production, on the same New Hazlett Theater stage where the ceremony was held.
Prime Stage’s fourth High School Theater Awards at the New Hazlett Theater.
Presenters, most of whom were educators in addition to their work in theater, included performers Wali Jamal, Matt Henderson, Daina Griffith and Dan Krell, scenic designers Tony Ferrieri and Stephanie Mayer-Staley, costume designer Kimberly Brown, makeup artist Sharyn Cordice, sound designer Zach Moore, lighting designer C. Todd Brown, director-writer Gab Cody and more.
WTAE-TV news anchor Mike Clark entered delivering a monologue from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and spoke of his own schooldays as a budding theater performer, before he caught the journalism bug.
John Dolphin serves as director of the Drama Awards, working with Wayne Brinda, co-founder and participating director of Prime Stage, whose focus “is to bring great literature to life through the transformative process of live theatre.” Next up for the company whose focus is And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, opening March 1.
Participating high schools for the Prime Stage 2024 High School Drama Awards were: Avonworth, Carlynton, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, North Allegheny, Thomas Jefferson, Shady Side Academy, Pine-Richland, Deer Lakes, Quaker Valley, Penn Hills, Hampton and Fox Chapel.
2024 HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA AWARDS
(List of nominees, with winners in bold):
BEST ACTOR
* Lincoln Marshal, Fox Chapel Area
Nathan Connelly, Hampton
Arjun Puri, North Allegheny Intermediate
Ethan Herr, Penn Hills
Nicolai Ezolt, Pine-Richland
BEST ACTRESS
Sophia Rike, Fox Chapel Area
Echo Shomaeker, Hampton
* Jay Zhu, Shady Side Academy
Cara Vereb, Thomas Jefferson
Emma Leghorn, Quaker Valley
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
* Gavin Windows, Deer Lakes
Noah Miller, Fox Chapel Area
Leo Matthews, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Aaron Little, Shady Side Academy
Cole Trieste, Thomas Jefferson
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ady Burgoyne, Avonworth
* Elise Schaeffer, Deer Lakes
Marina Dunham, Fox Chapel Area
Ashley Kimmell Leanne, Hampton
Lucille Spang, Thomas Jefferson
BEST DIRECTOR
* Andrew Kaehly & Kiley Vande, Hampton
Lauren Mutmansky & Aaron Reed, Thomas Jefferson
Eva Lowder, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Michael Lattari, Pine-Richland
Lucas Greb, Quaker Valley
BEST STAGE MANAGER
Kaylee Dunham, Fox Chapel Area
Margaret Sage, Hampton
Lucas Greb, Quaker Valley
Jeffrey Brunner & Tommy Kann, Shady Side Academy
* Alec Mahathey & Madeline Potts, Thomas Jefferson
BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Team, Fox Chapel Area
* Jacob Baker, Margaret Sager & Lily Stalewski, Hampton
Reagan Ball, Grace Durzo & Charle Palmer, North Allegheny Intermediate
Bridget Fogle & Isaac Jones, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Parker Roscoe, Shady Side Academy
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Jacob Baker, Michael Petrucci & Garret Vasil, Hampton
Claire Bandura & Samantha Lang, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Lucas Greb & Braiden Hoffman, Quaker Valley
Carson Davis, Shady Side Academy
* Brady Bandik, Thomas Jefferson
BEST PROP DESIGN
Sofia Liberto, Fox Chapel Area
Samantha Nicely, Hampton
Jordan Jones & Sean Mutschler, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
* Lucas Greb, Quaker Valley
Aaron Reed, Thomas Jefferson
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Grace Schmigel, Avonworth
Ta’Haera Griffin, Carlynton
Sophia Liberto, Fox Chapel Area
* Kayleigh Scialabbe-Meehan, Zoe Vesci, Katharina Ondercin & Marena Miller, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Team, Hampton
BEST MAKEUP
Kennedy Segeleon & Inez Webb, Carlynton
Carolyn Caracciolo, Fox Chapel Area
Shane Noone, Hampton
Marena Miller, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Chloe Ball, Quaker Valley
BEST USE OF CREATIVE SPECIAL EFFECTS
Anna Hall & Lucy Vetter, Carlynton
Jacob Baker, Hampton
Chris Petraglia, North Allegheny Intermediate
* Brady Bandik, Thomas Jefferson
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Brandon Smidle, Gabe Bernal & Lyra Klinedinst, Avonworth
Melanie Roth & Claire Topper, Hampton
Nick Ewanco & Jack Turina, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Lily Toma, Shady Side Academy Senior School
* Lauren Mutmansky & Jeremy Thompso, Thomas Jefferson
BEST BACKSTAGE RUN CREW
Team, Fox Chapel Area
A. Wallace & Alice Anderson, Hampton
Team, Quaker Valley
* Alexander Bi, Sam Davidheiser & Ada Lin, Shady Side Academy
Cole Schafer, Nicole Pesanka, Zak Baumgardner, Myles Stanicar, Chloe Englert & Lydia Holmes, Thomas Jefferson
BEST PROGRAM/POSTER DESIGN
Willow Racan, Brienne Sharo & Marianna Vergerio, Deer Lakes
* Kaylee Dunham, Fox Chapel Area
Kiley Vande, Hampton
Kevin Leslie & Sophia Muoio, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Celeste Stokan, Pine-Richland
BEST OVERALL PRODUCTION
Avonworth, The Curious Savage
Fox Chapel, The Man Who Came To Dinner
Hampton, Puffs
* Shady Side Academy, Macbeth
Thomas Jefferson, Trap
Categories: Company, Feature Stories
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