Press release from Ravenscroft PR:
Parkway Playhouse Junior student Leif Cedergren won a Freddie G Outstanding Performance by an Individual Performer award, and theater groups from Parkway Playhouse Junior in Burnsville and Music Works! Studio of Performing Arts in Canton earned praise and other recognition at the 2020 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, which happened January 17-19, 2020 at The Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. The Junior Theater Festival Atlanta united 7,000 students and educators from 128 educational musical theater groups representing 31 states, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K.
Parkway Playhouse Junior students presented selections from Elf The Musical JR. for Peter Avery, director of Theater for the NYC Department of Education, and Deirdre Kelly Lavrakas, Kennedy Center director (Walking in the Winds: American Tales and Walking in the Winds: Arabian Tales – a co-production with the Performing Arts Center of Amman, Jordan).
Said Lavrakas, “What an enjoyable experience! The whole cast was amazing.”
Music Works! Studio of Performing Arts students presented selections from Disney’s Frozen JR. for director, actor, and choreographer Kikau Alvaro (Big River) and dancer and choreographer, Melinda Sullivan (Encore! on Disney +).
Said Alvaro, “MusicWorks! Studio of Performing Arts’ performance was entertaining from beginning to end. The ensemble offered us strong stories and acting.” Added Sullivan, “This was an incredible performance. I was so impressed by this group’s dynamic choreography, energy, and comedic timing.”
Parkway Playhouse Junior’s Leif Cedergren and Music Works! Studio of Performing Arts’ Reagan Mulvey and Kara White made it to the call-back for future Broadway Junior shoots for “how-to” choreography videos for soon-to-be released Broadway Junior musicals. The shoots will be taped in New York City this summer. The Broadway Junior scouts were on the lookout for outstanding students, 150 of whom made it to the final call back for iTheatrics resident choreographer Steven G. Kennedy. The final cast will be determined later this year. These videos will be used in tens of thousands of schools across the country and internationally.
Parkway Playhouse Junior’s Leif Cedergren and Natalie Calkins and Music Works! Studio of Performing Arts’ Henry Blackburn and Reagan Mulvey were named to the Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, made up of outstanding performers attending the festival. The All-Stars performed a song during the closing ceremony for all 6,600 festival attendees.
Produced by the Junior Theater Group in partnership with iTheatrics, a leading educational theater company that creates innovative experiences and products for the public and private sector, the Junior Theater Festival Atlanta is the world’s largest festival celebrating young people and the transformative power of musical theater. This year’s title sponsors were Music Theatre International, Disney Theatrical Group, and Playbill, Inc®. The year marks the 15th Junior Theater Festival Atlanta. The Junior Theater Festival Atlanta was founded in 2003. In 2010 the festival became an annual event.
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