Local students participate in National Junior Theatre Festival

Cast and crew members from Asheville Performing Arts Academy brought home the Excellence in Ensemble Work Award from the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta; Parkway Playhouse Jr. students participated in the same festival.

Press release from Asheville Performing Arts Academy:

Asheville Performing Arts Academy cast and crew members, ages 6-18, presented selections from “Peter Pan Jr” and brought home the Excellence in Ensemble Work Award from the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, GA this past weekend. The Asheville Performing Arts Academy was one of 101 groups from six countries, and 28 states including the District of Columbia participating in this festival. These students are members of the audition based musical theatre training program at the Academy.

Academy students Ceili Taft, Mia Sander, and Charlene Powers received Golden Tickets to audition for future Broadway Junior shoots for “how-to” choreography videos for soon-to-be released Broadway Junior musicals.

Prep Academy students Ellie Hewitt-Corzine and Cory Silver were named to the Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, made up of two outstanding performers from each group attending the festival. The All-Stars performed a song during the closing ceremony for all 4,500 festival attendees.

High School Senior and Academy Intern Amanda Wilson was one of ten technical theatre All-Stars chosen from the entire festival and was in charge of the technical elements during the awards ceremony.

The Junior Theater Festival is produced by the Junior Theater Group in partnership iTheatrics, an educational theater company which creates innovative experiences and products for the public and private sector.

Press release from Parkway Playhouse:

Parkway Playhouse Jr. Students from Yancey, Mitchell, and Avery Counties recently joined over 4500 other from all over the world at the 2015 National Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, GA during the weekend of January 16-18. The Junior Theater Festival brings together people from all aspects of theater, ranging from students and teachers to Broadway professionals, under one roof to celebrate outstanding student musical theatre productions. Parkway Playhouse Jr. students performed selections for their production of Guys and Dolls, (which was performed locally in November of 2014).

“We are mentoring the next generation of our community’s artists and leaders and encouraging them to share their talent and ideas with the world at large is important. The notion that the work our students do here in Western North Carolina is as potent and as meaningful as the work being done elsewhere sends an empowering message to our students”, commented Parkway Playhouse Artistic Director, Andrew Gall. “We have such fantastic support for Parkway Playhouse Jr. Many thanks to Parkway Playhouse’s donors and sponsors, our Board, our staff, the parents and families of these kids who gave up a lot of time to support their child’s participation. Mary Katherine Smith-Gall, our director of education, who has built this program from the ground up continues to inspire us all with her dedication to our community’s youth.”

In addition to their performance students participated in workshops and classes over the Festival weekend that included Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez; the husband and wife songwriting team who composed the music for the blockbuster animated film Frozen including the Academy-Award winning song Let It Go (which they performed for students after explaining how they wrote it). Disney Theatrical Group President, Tom Schumacher, a major film and Broadway legend, who led students through an in-depth tour of how The Lion King went from an idea to an animated film (which Schumacher also produced for Disney Animation) to a Broadway musical that has been seen by millions of theatre-goers all over the globe. Darren Criss, the star of the network television smash Glee, made a surprise appearance; along with Lilla Crawford, a teenaged performer who is getting rave reviews for her performance alongside Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep in the musical film Into the Woods. Luca Padovan, who just completed a Broadway production of Newsies was also on hand and answered questions about his experiences. The Festival concluded with a concert by Broadway and television star Megan Hilty, who lingered long after her final number to sign autograph and pose for pictures with students.

Logan Walden, Taylor Hutcheson, Isabelle Huhges, and Levi Bradford, all from Burnsville, were recognized for their backstage skills in the Festival’s “Tech Olympics” were students demonstrated their skill at working as a team to solve a series of “backstage” puzzles: taping out a scaled floor plan, setting up props, and completing a fast costume change. Out of the over a hundred groups that participated, Parkway Playhouse Jr’s team had the second best time.

Sammarie Wilson and Iszie Hilbert, also of Burnsville, were invited to an audition for workshop performances of new work in New York City. Burnsville students Hana Stella and Aaron Neighbors were recognized by Festival panelists for their performance in Guys and Dolls at the Festival.

Parkway Playhouse Junior is a theatre arts education program for preschool through high school students. At Parkway Playhouse Junior, students work together creatively to make compelling and imaginative choices both on stage and behind the scenes. Instructors encourage budding performers to reflect on the world in inventive ways through movement, song, props, and all aspects of theatre. Students form lasting friendships, learn well-rounded technique, and develop a deep appreciation for the performing arts in a fun, nurturing environment. The award-winning program was created by Parkway Playhouse in 2010. It is lead by Mary Katherine Smith-Gall, Parkway Playhouse’s nationally recognized director of education.

For more information about Parkway Playhouse; including classes, auditions, and volunteer opportunities please visit www.parkwayplayhouse.com or call 828-682-4285.