PHS Students Win Awards at CT Drama Association Festival

SOUTHBURY/MIDDLEBURY – Pomperaug High School students in the Pomperaug Theatre Company participated in the 83rd annual Connecticut Drama Association Festival held on March 8th and 9th, at Joel Barlow High School in Redding, CT. The Connecticut Drama Festival is the culmination of activities organized by the Connecticut Drama Association (CDA).

23 student actors and stage crew-members from PHS participated in the two-day event, performing one act plays and participating in theatre workshops and forum discussions. The students performed the one act play, “Passive Resistance,” the most recent drama written by PHS teacher, Paul Doniger, that shares the story of German youth who resisted the rise of Nazism in the 1930s by listening and dancing to American swing music.

The following students were recognized for their performances:

Emily Puglisi won an honorable mention for acting in the role of the character Dorothea; Ben Bernard, Logan Nicolari, Teresa Nguyen, and Isabella Watson won the Elocution Award for their performance as the four speakers who narrated the history behind the drama; and Isabella Watson won the Technical Design Award for her make-up design and execution for the fall production of Radium Girls.

“Our students performed with great energy and commitment, and they represented Region 15 magnificently!” said Doniger.

This statewide gathering of secondary-school thespians is an exciting learning and growth experience, as drama groups from schools from all over Connecticut converge to perform their best work, share techniques and insight, develop friendships, and immerse themselves in an enriching theatrical experience. While the festival features awards for outstanding dramatic achievement in multiple areas, the focus of the festival is not on competition, but on enrichment and community in a celebration of theater.

Photo (Werner and Erika): PHS students Christian Winter, who played the character Werner, and Ella Storey, who played the character Erika, recently performed in the Pomperaug Theatre Company’s (PTC) production of the one act play, “Passive Resistance” in the 83rd annual Connecticut Drama Festival. Written by PHS drama teacher Paul Doniger, it tells the story of German youth who resisted the rise of Nazism in the 1930s by listening and dancing to American swing music. Student actors in the play included Winter and Storey, as well as Jason Winter, Emily Puglisi, Gabrielle Saucier, Logan Nicolari, Isabella Watson, Ben Bernard, and Teresa Nguyen.