Marin School of the Arts Theatre students took top awards at the 20th Annual Ohlone High School Theatre Festival March 22, including the Judges Sweepstakes Award as the school earning the highest overall points per student at the major competition. Fifty-four MSA students competed among 850 contestants and also won first place for Maxi Musical Theatre, awarded for superior performance by an ensemble cast in a 10-minute musical performance.
Director Rodney Franz, choreographer Devin Sullivan, and musical director Scott DeTurk presented 24 outstanding entries in several performance categories, with 15 entries earning command performances. MSA student films also took home top awards, including a second place win for Soldier, Soldier and a third place win for A Tale of Two Pallettes in the Video Short Story category.
It is the third consecutive year that MSA Theatre has won the Judge’s Sweepstakes Award, validating the high caliber of student performances and individual contributions to earn the award. It’s also the third year MSA Theatre has taken first place in the Maxi Musical Theatre category, with this year’s ensemble of 18 students performing scenes from Hello, Dolly. Other top wins for MSA Theatre include first place for Humorous Classical Ensemble and first place for Women’s Contemporary Humorous Monologue.
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The Ohlone College Theatre Festival is the largest festival of its kind in Northern California, offering college credit to all competitors. During the weekend competition, students perform in three rounds of competition before judges who have backgrounds in both professional and educational theatre. Ohlone College provides a competitive and collaborative environment for students to showcase their talents, while experiencing other new performances, interacting with peers and professionals, and observing top-caliber performing arts students from 27 California high schools from Grass Valley to Fresno.
Marin School of the Arts includes close to 500 students at Novato High School and is the only public arts education program in Marin County, serving students from Sonoma County communities, like Petaluma, the East Bay and all parts of Marin County and beyond.
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MSA students earned the following Ohlone awards and scholarships:
- 1st Place Maxi Musical- Hello, Dolly! All performers
- 1st Place Humorous Classical Ensemble - Scapin; Misha Kuklin, Jackson Verolini, Delaney Brummé
- 1st Place Women's Contemporary Humorous Monologue - Lettice & Lovage; Alexandra Moon
- 2nd Place Video Short Story-Soldier, Soldier; Danielle Thompson
- 2nd Place Women's Contemporary Dramatic Monologue- Trestle at Pope Lick Creek; Alexandra Moon
- 2nd Place Men's Contemporary Humorous Monologue- A Free Man in Paris; Danny Eggert
- 2nd Place Contemporary Dramatic Ensemble - Golden Boy; Megan Winnett, Sam O'Byrne
- 2nd Place Women's Classical Dramatic Monologue - Winter's Tale; Sara Packer
- 3rd place Mini Musical - Little Women; Liat Cohen, Lauren Denker, Emma Palace, Lindsey Russell, Megan Winnett
- 3rd Place Video Short Story- A Tale of Two Pallettes; Todd Monitto
- 3rd Place Women's Classical Dramatic Monologue- Henry IV; Cierra Potter
- Full Ride *Scholarship - Jimmy Macholz
- Showman Award *Scholarship - Misha Kuklin
- Most Like to be Sutton Foster *Scholarship - Emma Palace
*These students received Young Actors Theatre Camp Scholarships
