The Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School Theatre Department won the Fan Favorite Award at the California High School Musical Honors at the Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose on Monday, May 19. Competing with the top six schools in Northern California, 20 MSA students charmed the audience with their talent and showmanship performing scenes from “Hello, Dolly!”
“It was an unforgettable evening. I am so very proud of our students. They were instrumental along with our choreographer, Devin Sullivan, our Musical Director, Scott DeTurk and myself in creating the excitement of the piece,” said MSA Theatre Director Rodney Franz of the production, originally staged in November to packed houses at the NHS Performing Arts Center.
The event offered students a new perspective on their craft.
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“It was such a great experience to be able to see so much talent from all over California,” said Sam O’Bryne. Student Steven White added “I have never performed on such a large stage.”
“Everyone was under intense pressure to perform at their best in a new space, but all the groups were friendly throughout the whole day,” Byron Garcia said.
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Cierra Potter, performed at her best as a featured nominee in the Best Actress category. Emma Palace was also honored with a nomination as Best Supporting Actress. This is the first year that MSA has been nominated to compete in the event, co-hosted by CMT San Jose and Broadway San Jose. A prestigious panel of industry experts judged the evening performances. Sponsored by the Nederlander Organization, the regional competition sends competition winners to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards — also known as the Jimmy Awards – in New York City, where they will perform on a Broadway stage for scholarship opportunities to NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.
MSA Theatre learned of its nomination mere days before the competition, giving the company only hours to rehearse and restage its performance with key students unable to reprise their roles due to scheduling conflicts.
“Our MSA students remained focused and energetic throughout the long, demanding day and performed remarkably well. The audience who voted us Fan Favorite was comprised primarily of San Jose locals, as most of our MSA parents could not attend. The fact that there was so much talent on view that evening and so many voted for us, rather than their own schools, feels very rewarding and is a testament to our high-spirited performers,” Franz said.
