Prime Stage Theatre’s 5th annual High School Drama Awards, honoring excellence in nonmusical plays by student theater-makers, proved to be a big night for Pine-Richland High School.

At the gala event Saturday at the Hillman Center for the Performing Arts in Fox Chapel, Pine-Richland was the winner of six awards, including Best Overall Production for The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon and top actress and supporting actor for Jillian Uzelac and Jake Pazin, respectively. 

The Drama Awards program represented 15 participating Pittsburgh-area high schools, with students nominated in 16 categories for plays performed during the 2024-25 school year. 

Chartiers Valley High School received three awards, as did Carlynton High School, including Connor Hart as best actor.

Here are all honorees from the 2024-25 Prime Stage High School Drama Awards:

• Best Overall Production: The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon, Pine-Richland High School
• Best Actress: Jillian Uzelac, Pine-Richland
• Best Actor: Connor Hart, Carlynton High School
• Best Supporting Actress: Callie Dailey, Thomas Jefferson High School
• Best Supporting Actor: Jake Pazin, Pine-Richland
• Best Director: Jake Miller, Quaker Valley High School
• Best Stage Manager: Pine-Richland team
• Best Scenic Design/Fabrication: Wesley Wright, Pine-Richland
• Best Lighting Design/Operation: Theo Walsh and Tyler Debski, Chartiers Valley High School
• Best Sound Design/Operation: Carlynton team
• Best Costume Design/Fabrication: Lilith Bohin, Fox Chapel 
• Best Makeup Design/Application: Brianna Zoller, Thomas Jefferson 
• Best Prop Design/Fabrication: April Kanai, Carlynton 
• Best Use of Creative Special Effects: Tyler Debski, Chartiers Valley
• Best Unstage Run Crew: Chartiers Valley
• Best Program/Poster Design/Fabrication: Nicole Short, Pine-Richland

Scenes performed on Saturday were from the Best Overall Production nominees: 12 Angry Jurors (Avonworth), Sorry, Wrong Show (Carlyton), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Chartiers Valley), The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon (Pine-Richland) and Almost, Maine (Quaker Valley).

Monteze Freeland, co-artistic director of City Theatre and future AD of Alumni Theater Company, served as emcee of the evening. Carnegie Mellon School of Drama alumnus Ben King, now a production manager for Hudson Scenic Studios in New York, was a special guest at the event.

“This year’s ceremony was an amazing event filled with local area theater professionals presenting the awards,” said Prime Stage’s John Dolphin, director of the High School Drama Awards. “I am so proud of each and every student who participated in this year’s event.  … This very important event [is] the only awards ceremony in the area that honors the achievements of students in nonmusical productions. We at Prime Stage believe that the efforts and artistic accomplishments of these students are important in fostering and recognizing the amazing theatrical productions produced by our area high schools.”

Local theater artists who served as presenters included performers Daniel Krell, Daina Michelle Griffith, Matt Henderson and Wali Jamal, who on January 20 will reprise his performance of August Wilson’s solo show How I Learned What I Learned as a Prime Stage benefit.

Presenters and heavy-hitters from behind-the-scenes were scenic designer Stephanie Mayer-Staley; lighting designer J.R. Shaw; props manager Todd Kulik (Carnegie Mellon University); podcaster and Prime Stage teaching artist Rebecca Godlove; professor/director of production Aaron Bollinger (Point Park University); Prime Stage production artistic director Wayne Brinda, musician/writer/journalist Lawrence McCullough, director/educator Kim Weild (Area Chair for the John Wells Directing Program, CMU) and stage management educator Tina Shakeleford (CMU). 

Participating high schools were: Avonworth, Baldwin, Carlynton, Chartiers Valley, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel Area, Hampton, North Allegheny, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Quaker Valley, Shady Side Academy, Springdale Jr./Sr. and Thomas Jefferson.

The program for the night is available at https://primestage.com/events/drama-awards.

Categories: Arts Education, National and Local Awards, Our Posts

Tags: 2024-25, 5th annual, High School Drama Awards, Pine-Richland, Prime Stage Theatre