Lehigh Senior High School had a huge night on Friday at the High School Musical Theatre Awards at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. Its spring show, “Hadestown Teen Edition,” was selected by a panel of five judges as this year’s winner in the coveted category of “Overall Production of a Musical.”
The awards didn’t stop there.
“Hadestown” also won top honors for Technical Achievement, Vocal Execution, Outstanding Ensemble and Orchestra, and was runner-up for Choreography.
Lehigh also took three of the top four best actor awards.
Taylor Spurr was the Outstanding Performer in a Female Identifying Role, D’Andrean St. Louis was Best Supporting Actor in a Male-Identifying Role and Stephania Ulysse snagging the Best Supporting Actor in a Female-Identifying Role. Victor Galarza was runner-up in the Outstanding Performer in a Male-Identifying Role category.
North Fort Myers High School was the other big winner Friday night.
North’s spring production, “Pippin,” was chosen as runner-up in the Overall Production of a Musical category. North also won for Best Choreography and was runner-up in Vocal Execution and Technical Achievement.
Mia Zottolo was runner-up for Best Actor in a Female-Identifying Role, with Jay Encalada snagging runner-up for Best Supporting Actor in a Female-Identifying role.
The High School Musical Theatre Awards is the brainchild of Barbara Mann GM Scott Saxon, who patterned the awards ceremony after the Emmys, with each school performing a 5- to 7-minute medley from its spring production.
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Eight Lee County schools took part in is year’s High School Musical Theatre Awards at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on May 9.
Each performed outtakes from their spring productions to tumultuous applause.
Bishop Verot High School performed musical numbers from “Curtains.” The musical takes place in 1959 at the Colonial Theatre, where the cast of "Robbin’ Hood" takes bows on opening night. Just as the curtain falls, so does Jessica Cranshaw, the profoundly untalented leading lady of the production. Enter Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, a fast-talking cop with a love for musical theater. He quarantines the cast and crew inside the theater while he searches for clues. But Cioffi doesn’t just investigate the murder-- he also offers advice and insight into improving "Robbin’ Hood." The musical will open again in 24 hours with a new leading lady, so the clock is ticking to find the killer and put on a killer show. Theatre Director Lisa Clark called “Curtains” a “love letter to all of the theater people in our county.”
At Bishop Verot Catholic High, Robert Nolan received the Outstanding Performer Award in the role of Aaron Fox and Grace Breen earned Outstanding Student Technical Achievement Award Stage Management.
Lisa Clark is the Theatre Director at Bishop Verot. Under her guidance, the theater department performs a variety of straight plays and musicals that feature in excess of 50 students. Past productions have included “Mary Poppins” (which won “Outstanding Ensemble” at the 2024 HSMTA), “The Addams Family Musical,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Grease: The School Version” and “How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.” Bishop Verot is a member of the SWFL Theatrical Society, and Bishop Verot High School Thespian Troupe 6159 is a part of the International Thespian Society, an organization that recognizes students for their exceptional participation in theater.
Canterbury School’s spring production was “Shrek,” which Theatre Director Aaron Jackson described as more than a comedy with catchy songs and talking animals. “It’s a story about being different, being brave, finding your people, even if they come with hooves, horns or, let’s be honest, questionable hygiene. Shrek reminds us that we are exactly who we are meant to be, and that’s enough. We don’t have to fit into someone else’s fairy tale. We can write our own.”
Canterbury’s Ella Cameratta won the Outstanding Performer Award for the role of Fiona and Abby Kohler received the Outstanding Student Technical Achievement Award for Stage Management.
Canterbury School’s theater program provides a comprehensive education in the art of performing, the history of the stage, and technical aspects of theatre. Under the guidance and direction of Catherine Truesdale, Aaron Jackson and Michael Lynch, Canterbury thespians showcase their abilities at several events throughout the year, which are highly anticipated by students, faculty and members of the Southwest Florida community. “Mean Girls” and “Elf the Musical” are among the shows that Canterbury has produced in past years. “Elf” was named Outstanding Overall Production in 2023, which just goes to show that good things happen when you make it shinyshowycheerykinkle razzledazzleringalingle.
Cypress Lake High School performed “It’s Your Wedding Day” from “The Wedding Singer.” The musical features ‘80s rock star wannabe and wedding singer Robbie Heart, who is left heartbroken when his own wedding plans go awry. He ruins every wedding he plays at until he connects with Julia, a pretty young waitress who dreams of her own perfect wedding. There’s just one problem: she’s already engaged to Glen, a rich, shallow Wall Street broker. When Julia elopes with Glen to Las Vegas, Robbie decides to play the gig of his life to win her heart and her hand in marriage.
At Cypress Lake, Bennett Wilcoxon was awarded Outstanding Performer for the role of Rosie “Grandma” and Stage Manager Evelin Rienzo took the Outstanding Technical Achievement Award.
The theater program at Cypress Lake reflects the formidable skills and considerable experience of Theatre Director/Teacher Carmen Crussard, who also directs the Alliance Youth Theatre. Cypress Lake performed a medley from “Holiday Inn” last year and “Big Fish” in 2023. Cypress Lake took best musical honors at the inaugural HSMTAs for its performance of “All Shook Up.”
Gateway High School’s Spring show was “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.” Gateway chose “Charlie Brown” because, like Charlie Brown, we’ve all been losers at some point in our lives. But that’s a positive, because someone who’s never lost has probably never attempted anything difficult.
“Charlie Brown” was the first musical that Gateway has ever ventured. The Outstanding Performer at Gateway High School was Mercedes Jurado for the role of Sally and Stage Manager Alec Benitez received the Outstanding Student Technical Achievement Award.
Gateway High School is home to a growing theater program, offering a progression of multiple levels in which students learn performance, technical, and production skills. Students in Theater 1 gain confidence in performing onstage in front of an audience with improv, monologues, and partner pieces. Set and costume design are included as an introduction to technical theater. The Eagle Theater Company rehearses after school for competitions, showcases and multiple plays a year. Students in the theater program learn to support each other and enjoy being part of a tight-knit community.
Ida S. Baker High School’s spring production was “Bring It On.” Theatre Director Sarah Jones said at the awards ceremony that she did not select the musical because Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tom Kitt wrote the music, but because the show gave her students the ability to perform a series of lifts and aerials. The latter stunned the Barbara B. Mann audience as Ida S. Baker performed a mash-up of the ensemble numbers “What I Was Born to Do” and “Cross the Line.”
Lia Jaquez played the part of Campbell; Gabriella Santiago played Danielle; Sophia Portier was Skylar; Emily Berlanga Campos was Kylar; and Kameryn Gardner was Eva. Jaquez received the Outstanding Performer Award for the role of Campbell and Stage Manager/Light Designer Ava Sardinha took home the Outstanding Student Technical Achievement Award.
Theatre Director Sarah Jones says that her personal goal at each year’s HSMTA is to “keep as many students on stage as possible in order to give them that show-stopping, professional theatre experience.”
The Ida S. Baker High School offers a medley of courses in which students can study and learn various elements of theater, musical theater and technical theater throughout all four years of high school. Last year, Ida Baker took runner-up honors for Overal Production of a Musical for “Beauty and the Beast.” In 2023, Ida Baker performed a crowd-pleasing medley of songs from its production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” including an excerpt from “Feed Me (Git It),” featuring the insatiably blood-thirsty plant Audrey and her hapless horticulturalist Seymour.
Island Coast High School performed a medley of songs from “Lightning Thief” that included the prologue, “Put You in Your Place,” “Grand Plan,” “Drive,” “Son of Poseidon” and “Bring on the Monsters.” A. Alvarez starred in the role of Percy Jackson. Amarra Kubistal played Annabeth Chase, Branden Richardson was Grover and Mr. D., J. Covey played multiple roles and Averie Mack was Clarisse and Aunty Em, all under the direction of Theatre Director Rachel Davis.
Averie Herring in the role of Luke received the Outstanding Performer Award, with Sophia Nogueras taking the Outstanding Student Technical Achievement Award for her prop construction.
Lehigh Senior High School’s Spring show was “Hadestown Teen Edition,” a show also done this season by Arts Bonita and The Naples Players. At Lehigh Senior, Victor Galarza played Orpheus; Taylor Spurr was Eurydice; D’Adrean St. Louis was Hades; Stephania Ulysse played the part of Persephone; Ornica Edouard was Hermes; and Amy Mercado, Stephanie Fuentes and Lensy Devariste portrayed the three Fates.
At the Awards, Lehigh Senior performed a medley of numbers that included “Way Down Hadestown,” “Chant” and “Wait for Me.”
Lehigh’s Outstanding Performer was Ornica Edouard in the role of Hermes, while Gisselle Cruz earned the Outstanding Student Technical Achievement Award for stage management and set and lighting design.
North Fort Myers High School brought a medley from “Pippin” that included “Corner of the Sky,” “Magic To Do,” “Simple Joys” and “Morning Glow,” with Tyler Scott in the title role, Mia Zottolo (last year’s runner-up for Best Supporting Performer in a Female-Identifying Role) as The Leading Player, Rilyn Dick as Fastrada and Jay Encalada as Catherine.
Tyler Scott received the Outstanding Performer Award for his role as Pippin. Stage Manager/Light Designer Landon McCarthy took home the Outstanding Student Technical Achievement Award.
Under the direction of Janelle Laux, North Fort Myers High theater students receive intensive training in acting, directing, design, and technical theater. The course of study includes opportunities in acting, voice, and diction, mime and movement, improvisation, directing and playwriting, stage make-up, theatre technology, theatre history, vocal techniques, dance, musical theatre, and other classes. Earlier this year, North produced “Six the Musical.” North Fort Myers High’s production of “All Shook Up” was selected as the 2024 Best Overall Production (also winning the award for Technical Achievement and Best Ensemble), and was runner-up for Best Orchestra, with its tap-heavy production of “Anything Goes” being named Outstanding Overall Production runner-up at the 2023 High School Musical Theatre Awards.
Oasis Charter School did “Addams Family” this spring. Oasis Theatre Director Carrie Guffy said she chose the musical not only because it has numerous speaking roles and a considerable ensemble, but “its main themes are love, acceptance and the importance of family, no matter how unconventional they are.”
At HSMTA, Oasis Shark Theatre Company performed “When You’re an Addams” and “Crazier Than You.” Although Tristen Espaillat played Gomez in the spring production, he could not appear at HSMTA as he was auditioning at the University of Miami for entrance into their program. Emily Feichthaler was Morticia; Isabella Chica played Wednesday; and Viktor Sweeney was Fester. Theatre Director Carrie Guffy launched the program six years ago.
Tristen Espaillat in the role of Gomez received the Outstanding Performer award in absentia and Lighting Designer Andy Harrington received the Outstanding Student Technical Achievement Award.
While Guffy characterizes her company as a “diamond in the rough,” Oasis’ theatre arts program is now “worth taking notice of.” The program’s focus is education, and all of its shows are student run. “My job is to educate these incredibly talented students, not do it for them, but to guide them towards excellence.”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.