Mentor, Painesville Rotary clubs issue Drama Awards

For decades, the annual Rotary Drama Awards program has awarded Lake County young thespians for their high school performances throughout the year.

According to the clubs, the program is the brainchild of Painesville Rotarian Robert Tischer, who believed that students who participate in school theater productions should receive recognition similar to that bestowed upon students who participated in athletics. This year’s program was recently hosted at Harvey High School. in Painesville.

In addition to performance awards, the Rotary Clubs also awarded Robert E. Tischer Scholarships to Brennan Flat of Perry High School, Ethan McCoy of Riverside High School, Morgan Braemer of Fairport Harding High School, and Peyton Leinweber of Riverside.

Congratulations to all of the nominees listed below and the award-winning performances (designated by an asterisk) for youth theater in Lake County this school year.

• Best Musical Fairport’s “The Marvelous Wonderettes” directed by Caitlyn Dubeansky

Harvey’s “Leap of Faith” directed by Kimberly Hildack

* Lake Catholic High School’s “The Addams Family” directed by R. Scott Posey

Mentor High School’s “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” directed by John Greene

Perry’s “Disney’s Descendants” directed by Jennifer Hunter

Riverside’s “Mamma Mia” directed by Laura Poje

• Best Comedy/Drama Fairport’s “Alice in Worderland” directed by Caitlyn Dubeansky

Harvey’s “110 Stories” directed by Kimberly Hildack

* Lake Catholic’s “Clue” directed by R. Scott Posey

Mentor’s “Bad Seed” directed by John Greene

Perry’s “The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza” directed by Jennifer

Hunter

Riverside’s “Clue” directed by Brad Allen

Male Sub Support in a Comedy/Drama

Fairport: Maverrick Piotrowski as the March Hare

Harvey: Darrius Armstead as Father Bob Deming

Lake Catholic: Mason Mager as Mr. Green

Mentor: Owen Keller as Reginald Tasker

* Perry: Lukas Rosipko as Cronos

Riverside: Kyan Vano as Mr. Green

• Female Sub Support in a Comedy/Drama

Fairport: Stephanie Luke as the Duchess

Harvey: Melissa Davis as Susan Flis

Lake Catholic: Emily Rae Debevec as Mrs. White

* Mentor: Ashlyn Slocum as Hortense Daigle

Perry: Brenna McCallion as Pandora

Riverside: Mer Vosicky as Miss Scarlet

• Male Support in a Drama/ Comedy

Fairport: Charlie Holbrooks as the Mad Hatter

Harvey: Cavon Wise as Firefighter Lou Trazino

Lake Catholic: Stephen Parrish as Colonel Mustard

Mentor: Doug Slovenkay as Kenneth Penmark

Perry: Colin Hunter as Hercules

* Riverside: Jonathan Koritansky as Colonel Mustard

• Female Support in a Drama/ Comedy

* Fairport: Sofia Cicconetti as the Queen of Hearts

Harvey: Diamomd Jackson as Lillian

Lake Catholic: Anna Sanford Yvette

Mentor: Cordelia Klammer as Christine Penmark

Perry: Emily Korth as Athena Riverside: Ella Tinney as Yvette

• Female Lead in a Musical Fairport: Irelyn Swan & Sofia Cicconetti as Cindy Lou

Harvey: Georgia Hull as

Marla McGowan

Lake Catholic: Emily Rae Debevec as Morticia

* Mentor: Cordelia Klammer as Alice Nutting

Perry: Brenna McCallion as Mal

Riverside: Meridan Viosicky as Donna

•“Behind the Scenes” Award in a Comedy/Drama Fairport: Alice in Wonderland Harvey: 110 Stories

Lake Catholic: Clue Mentor: Bad Seed

Perry: The Greek Mythology Olympiganza

* Riverside: Clue

• “Behind the Scenes” Award in a Musical

Fairport: The Marvelous Wonderettes

* Harvey: Leap of Faith Lake Catholic: The Addams Family

Mentor: The Msytery of Edwin Drood

Perry: Disney’s Descendants Riverside: Mamma Mia

• Male Support in a Musical Harvey: Jamarian McCraney as Jake McGowan

* Lake Catholic: Mason Mager as Fester

Mentor: Khoury Ward as Clive Paget

Perry: Lukas Rosipko as Carlos

Riverside: Kyan Vano as Sky • Female Support in a Musical Fairport: Fiona Johnson & Hanna McCauley as Betty Jean

Harvey: Lourdes Gonzales as Sam Nightingale

Lake Catholic: Makenna Bretz as Wednesday

* Mentor: Claire English as Deidre Peregrine

Perry: Juliana Kifus as Evie Riverside: Ella Tinney as Sophie

• Male Lead in a Musical * Harvey: Emmanuel Stewart as Jonas Nightingale

Lake Catholic: Dominic Orlando as Gomez

Mentor: Vince Muranda as Mr. William Cartwright Perry: Brennan Flauto as Ben Riverside: Ethan McCoy as Sam

• Male Lead in a Drama/Comedy

Fairport: Andrea McKinney as the White Rabbit

Harvey: Emmanuel Stewart as Fire Fighter Don Casey

Lake Catholic: Dominic Orlando as Wadsworth

* Mentor: James Goodman as Leroy

Perry: Brennan Flauto as Daedalus

Riverside: Ethan McCoy as Wadsworth

• Female Lead in a Drama/ Comedy

Fairport: Bailey Davis as Alice Harvey: Georgia Hull as Karen Slade

Lake Catholic: Roslynn Curtis as Mrs. Peacock

Mentor: Grace Prentice as Rhoda Penmark

Perry: Kiersten Setting as Narrator 1 and Maeve Tannish as Narrator 2

* Riverside: Hannah Toth as Mrs. Peacock

• Male Sub Support in a Musical

Harvey: Ishmeal Jackson as Isaiah Sturdevant

Lake Catholic: Nick Regano as Lucas Beineke

* Mentor: Jack Webster as Cedric Moncrief

Perry: Colin Hunter as Jay Riverside: Ian Gaspersic as Bill and Jonathan Korintansky as Harry

• Female Sub Support in a Musical

Fairport: Juliana Murphy and Stephanie Luke as Missy and Bailey Davis and Charlie Holbrooks as Suzy

Harvey: Morgan Coffee as Ida Mae Sturdevant

Lake Catholic: Madison Smith as Alice Beineke

* Mentor: Kerri Ward as Angela Prysock

Perry: Maeve Tannish as Maleficent

Riverside: Julia Barrow as Lisa & Chloe Banno as Tanya

Madison High School

Although the Rotary Drama Awards would suggest that the entire 2021-22 Lake County high school theater season is in the books, there is still one school yet to perform.

Three years after they cut “Footloose” with their last annual spring musical production at the historic Rabbit Run Theatre in 2019 and two productions in their high school gym, the thespians at Madison Theatre are going back to “the Barn” for this year’s spring musical production of “Mamma Mia!”

Madison Theater will present “Mamma Mia!” at 7:30 p.m. May 13 and 14 and at 2 p.m. May 14. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Toddlers 2 and under are free. Tickets are only available via online advanced sale.

“Mamma Mia!” is directed by yours truly with music direction by Madison Schools vocal music teacher Jennifer Calhoun, choreography by Jailyn Harris, assistant choreography by Casey Couch, and tech direction by Erik Katko and Ray Beach. “Mamma Mia!” features book by Catherine Johnson and music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and some songs with Stig Anderson.

“Mamma Mia!” gets its title from the popular ABBA song. ABBA is a Swedish super-group that was popular in the 1970s, but has recently reunited for a new album and virtual tour, so all things ABBA are hot again.

This musical is a “jukebox”style musical that stitches an original story around all of ABBA’s most popular songs from their hit-making heyday, including “Gimme Gimme Gimme,” “Take a Chance On Me,” and their signature song and only U.S. No. 1 hit “Dancing Queen.”

“Mamma Mia!” is a fun, upbeat dance-heavy musical that is sure to get the audience up on their feet and even singing along.

This is my fifth Madison High School production for International Thespian Society Troupe No. 2425. If you have never been to the Ohio Historic Landmark that is the Rabbit Run barn theater, the glorious weather week we are currently enjoying gives you an excellent opportunity.

Follow Madison Theatre on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @BlueStreakDrama, and come see us this weekend! If you do, be sure to say hello!