THEATER NOMINEES GETTING IT DONE WITH NO STAGE
With no ensembles allo performances take cent
Shakespeare once wrote that all the world’s a stage. He also wrote it while the Bubonic Plague had killed people across England. Albany High schoolers proved that the words of the Bard were indeed immortal, when they turned their own little worlds into stages in a plague of their own.
It has been a tough year for students across the country. But these young artistes have persevered in their dedication to their craft and have made it to the final round of the High School Musical Theatre Awards.
This event, annual until COVID forced its cancellation in 2020, is usually played writ large on the Proctors mammoth stage, with dozens of students recreating their high school production numbers before a large audience. This year, instead of canceling it again, Proctors opted for a smaller version that would keep alive students' involvement while jeopardizing the health of no one.
Students were given the opportunity to send in video auditions for this year’s awards, which are again co-sponsored by the Times Union. Students had to submit two songs from the approved roles list from the National High School Musical Theatre Awards: a full song and a 32-bar cut of a contrasting style. Many are graduating and this was not the end they foresaw for their high school drama careers, but they made the best of what they had.
Videos were scored by judges using rubrics designed for the HSMTA audition process, according to Jim Murphy, director of marketing.
Scores from this were calculated and the 19 top-scoring students were invited for callbacks. The callbacks included a live performance for judges followed by a dance audition, so that students were evaluated on their triple threat. Students were scored on these performances by judges who then revealed the top five nominees for Best Actress and Best Actor.
Judges were selected for their professional expertise in musical theater and comprised artistic directors, Broadway performers, music directors, producers, college faculty, choreographers and others in the field. The winners will be announced at 7 p.m. Saturday, and will represent the Capital Region at the virtual The Jimmy Awards in June..
According to Grace Janiszewski, creative workforce director of School of the Performing Arts at Proctors
Collaborative, it is good to have theatre in whatever way possible.
“I am so glad that the students got the opportunity to take part in theater, even if it wasn’t in person,” said Janiszewski.
Here are some of the nominees and their thoughts on this year's involvement:
Nicaya-isabella Rios 18, Guilderland High School.
I never really understood how much being on stage means to me until it was taken away for such a long time. There were times when a with all my extra c but, there is nothin being on stage and hit you as the curta lutely nothing will replace that feeling the lights brings an to my face and I ha than anything. I di opportunity to hav and masked produ Women" and being some kind of musi more than words c
Working around which brings me th was and still is ver are times when I ju to go to rehearsal t and sing at the top gether and unfortu that right now. I ha
break was needed urricular activities g comparable to having the lights in goes up. Absoever be able to
, the warmth of immediate smile ve missed it more d however get the e a fully filmed ction of "Little able to experience cal theatre meant an describe. one of the things e most happiness y difficult. There st want to be able o see my friends of our lungs tonately we can’t do ve been taking private voice lessons for a very long time and being able to sing with my teacher was one of the only things keeping me sane to be completely honest. Music is my way, and I’m sure many others can agree with me, of keeping myself in tune with how I’m feeling and how I manage my stress with school, work, family, whatever it may be.
I chose to perform the piece "Everything I Know," from the musical "In The Heights" because of my background and my personal relationship with the character Nina. I myself am of Mexican-american descent, and discovering the character Nina and her close relationship with her grandmother and culture resonated with me and helped me to choose a piece from this musical. I lost my grandfather about 6 years ago and it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. I sing this song for him every time because when I sing the final lines, “I’ll make you proud of everything I know. Thank you, for everything I know.” It’s to him and I always end up crying, I can’t help it.
My plans for the future involving theatre are up in the air right now. All I know is theatre is a part of me that I will never be able to let go of and when I’m not experiencing it in some way, a part of me feels like it’s missing. I have committed to Marist College and will be attending this fall studying both Communications and Criminal Justice, but the location enables me to take an hour and a half long train ride to NYC whenever I want which I definitely will be using to my advantage to see a Broadway show, go to auditions, or visit friends at nearby colleges. While my plans for the future aren’t set in stone I am so excited to have the ability continue pursing my Broadway dream at my own pace, and in my own time, whatever and whenever that may be.
Xander Holden 17, South Glens Falls High School
As the global pandemic is still in play, performing on a stage has been a struggle. For me, I used this time as a challenge. I found as many opportunities as possible. From master classes