BMA Announces Stephen Sondheim Award Nominees

Pictured: West Warwick High School Players whipped up some donkey pot pie this season with #ShrekTheMusical. #SondheimAwards Photo courtesy of BMA

‘BMA ANNOUNCES STEPHEN SONDHEIM AWARD NOMINEES’

Broadway Method Academy (BMA), in association with the Shubert Theatre of New Haven and Westport Country Playhouse, is proud to announce the nominees for the Stephen Sondheim Awards. The black-tie gala will take place on June 4 at 7:30 pm at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, CT. The program’s mission is to recognize excellence in high school musical theater.

BMA Executive Directors, Connor Deane & J. Scott Handley announced today that Hamilton’s Solea Pfeiffer (Eliza Hamilton) and Ryan Vasquez will host the 2018 black-tie gala.

“We are thrilled to partner with two organizations that have contributed so much to the American theater,” said Deane. “We are looking forward to bringing some of Broadway’s brightest talents to share this special night with the next generation of musical theater performers.” Deane said that over the next two weeks BMA would utilize their social media channels to announce the Broadway presenters.

Over the past eight months, a panel of judges attended performances by the following fourteen high schools:

Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School
Suffield Academy
West Warwick High School (pictured above)
Notre Dame High School
North Kingstown High School
Trumbull High School
Branford High School
Newtown High School
Darien High School
Nonnewaug High School
Cheshire High School
Amity Regional High School
Shelton High School
Immaculate High School

The panel of judges was comprised of performing arts educators, entertainment professionals and Broadway performers & designers. On May 19, these judges met for a final discussion and a review of highlights from each high school performance to subsequently create nominations.

*Please note: Links to reviews do not indicate anything more than this reviewer attended the production for a review.

The nominees for the 2018 Stephen Sondheim Awards are …

Best Scenic Design

Isabel Adolphe - Heathers - Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School
Justin Mossa - Footloose - Darien High School
Bobby Marcinauskis - Legally Blonde - Shelton High School
Todd Perrin, Dan Reilly and Nina Soriano-Les Miserables - Newtown High School

Best Costume Design

Sophie Howard - Footloose - Darien High School
Kira Turlington - Heathers - Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School
Marissa Proto - The Addams Family - Amity Regional High School

Best Lighting Design

Alicia Foster - Heathers - Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School
Emily Marcinauskis - Legally Blonde - Shelton High School
Oak Chaisathaporn - Hairspray - Suffield Academy
James Gallo - Curtains - Trumbull High School
Dean Jones - Footloose - Nonnewaug High School
Bobby Gaffney- Les Miserables - Newtown High School

Best Supporting Actor

Michael Hoadley - Shrek - Pinocchio - Branford High School
Antonio Mantero - Into the Woods - Mysterious Man - Notre Dame
Callum Zak - Legally Blonde - Kyle/Chad/Dewey - Shelton High School
Thomas Leonard - Curtains - Christopher Belling - Trumbull High School
Ryan Kennedy - Addams Family - Lucas - Amity High School

Best Supporting Actress

Alex Hernandez - Shrek - Dragon - Branford High School
Marina Kolistas -Grease - Patty Simcox - Immaculate HS
Molly Schalenghe - Legally Blonde - Brooke - Shelton
Madison LaPlante - Shrek - Dragon - West Warwick
Ainsley Lugal - Legally Blonde - Serena - Shelton High School

Best Choreography

Andrea Kennedy - The Addams Family - Amity Regional High School
Emily Frangipane - Footloose - Darien High School
Matthew Farina - Grease - Immaculate High School
Katherine Sedlock - Legally Blonde - Shelton High School
Mia White - Hairspray - Suffield Academy
John Carter - Merrily We Roll Along - Cheshire High School

Best Direction

Rob and Andrea Kennedy - The Addams Family - Amity Regional High School
Tim Sorenson - Footloose - Darien High School
Matthew Farina - Grease - Immaculate High School
Fiona Bryson,Katherine Sedlock, Justin Zenchuk - Legally Blonde - Shelton High School
Thomas Dugan - Hairspray - Suffield Academy
Richard Marchetti - Shrek - West Warwick High School

Best Actor

Marty Gnidula - Addams Family - Uncle Fester - Amity High School
Grady Allen - Footloose - Willard - Darien High School
Joshua Cocuzzo - Footloose - Ren - Nonnewaug
Cooper Cardone - Beauty and the Beast - Beast - North Kingstown
Connor Wall - Legally Blonde - Emmett Forrest - Shelton
Max Weiner - Hairspray - Edna Turnblad - Suffield Academy
Matt Sullivan - Legally Blonde - Professor Callahan - Shelton High School

Best Actress

Alaina Dwyer - Addams Family - Alice Beineke - Amity High School
Lexi Staubi - Footloose - Ariel - Darien High School
Teah Renzi - Les Miserables - Eponine - Newtown High School
Kyla Hackett - Legally Blonde - Elle Woods - Shelton High School
Jacqueline Mate - Curtains - Georgia - Trumbull High School
Mia White - Hairspray - Velma Von Tussel - Suffield Academy
Lilli Querker - Addams Family - Pugsley Addams - Amity High School

Best Musical

Hairspray - Suffield Academy
Shrek - West Warwick High School
Footloose - Darien High School
The Addams Family - Amity Regional High School
Legally Blonde - Shelton High School
Grease - Immaculate High School

BMA is thrilled to partner with the Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation to present over $4,000 in cash scholarships to deserving students who submitted auditions and written responses pertaining to how theater has influenced their lives.

Tickets for the gala are $35 per person and are currently on-sale through the Shubert box office or Ticketmaster.

The gala will be music directed by Jad Bernardo and will feature choreography by Julie Kavanagh and Audra Bryant. Weston G. Wetzel serves as Director of Production.

ABOUT BROADWAY METHOD ACADEMY
Broadway Method Academy is a non-profit organization that offers a premier musical theatre-training program and provides the essential tools for young artists in acting, singing, and dancing. BMA also connects children and teens that are passionate about the arts with some of Broadway’s top talents and guest instructors. BMA’s goal is to create a thriving artistic atmosphere where students can create lasting friendships and develop skills they will use forever.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues and she posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theater Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417