Moorestown Theater Company Captures 2 Awards From Junior Festival

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The Moorestown Theater Company (MTC) walked away with two awards from the 2018 Junior Theater Festival (JTF), the world’s largest musical theater festival for children, which took place Jan. 12-15 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA, MTC announced. This was the first time MTC brought two casts to the show. MTC has been participating in the event since 2013.

The two casts were:

Hairspray, Jr., in the “Academy B‟ category (1 st to 12th grade), with 45 performers and 30 staff and “fans." It won a Freddie G “Excellence In Acting‟ Award for its full cast. The Freddie G Awards are named after Music Theatre International CEO/Tony Award Winner Freddie Gershon. This is the fourth time in five years that MTC has received this award; and
Willy Wonka, Jr., in the “Academy A‟ category (1 st to 8 th grade), with 24 performers and 22 staff and “fans.” Lily Sims, 10, won an “Excellent Individual Performance By A Female‟ Award for her performance as “Mrs. Bucket.‟

Moorestown Theater Company Producing Artistic Director and Hairspray, Jr. Director Mark Morgan accepted the “Excellence In Acting‟ Award, along with “Tracy Turnblad," 17-year-old Selena Bianchi of Medford, on behalf of the entire cast for its 15-minute performance.

“Just attending the Junior Theater Festival is an amazing experience for our students, even if we don’t win any awards,” Morgan said. “But to win an “Excellence In Acting‟ Award, for the fourth time in five years, is fantastic, and it shows the caliber of actors that perform regularly with the Moorestown Theater Company.”

Each cast performed a 15-minute condensed version of their respective shows before two adjudicators.

"Hairspray, Jr." was performed for Broadway Music Arranger David Weinstein and Co-Founding Director of New Visions/New Voices Deirdre Kelly Lavrakas.

"Willy Wonka, Jr." was performed for iTheatrics Director of Professional Development Cindy Ripley and New York Director/Actor Kevin Free.

This year’s JTF had about 6,000 students, teachers, and family members from 30 states and the District of Columbia, as well as theater companies from Australia, China, and New Zealand. There were a record-high 119 theater companies/schools participating.

The festival was founded in 2003 and became an annual event in 2010. In six appearances, MTC has won nine acting awards, including three in 2014 and two in 2015. They won one each in 2013 and 2017.

In all six trips to the JTF, MTC has condensed its full-length shows down to 15 minutes, as opposed to just performing various songs from a show to fill the 15-minute performing time. In the past, MTC was the only group of the seven in its “pod‟ to condense their entire show down to 15 minutes, but this year most of the groups chose the condensed-show option. Morgan said MTC does this option to highlight as many cast members as possible (instead of just a few lead performers), with most cast members “getting a line."

These other MTC performers were also recognized for their efforts by the Festival Adjudicators:

Broadway Jr. "All-Stars‟ (two were selected per Cast by the Adjudicators):
Academy A (Willy Wonka, Jr.) Academy B (Hairspray, Jr.)
Chance Neal (Age 10, Mt. Laurel, "Mike Teavee") Indi Ebo (Age 16, Lumberton, "Motormouth Maybelle")
Lily Sims (Age 10, Mt. Laurel, "Mrs. Bucket") Nicholas Williams (Age 16, Moorestown, "Seaweed")
The All-Stars from each company were split into three groups and had to learn and perform a song from a
musical after just one hour of rehearsal during the closing Awards Ceremony on the Festival's final day for all
6,000 attendees.

Broadway Jr. Choreography DVD Auditionees (eight cast members were selected by each Directing Team):
Academy A (Willy Wonka, Jr.) Academy B (Hairspray, Jr.)

** Cassidy Barasch (12, Marlton, "Mrs. Beauregard") ** Casey Curcio (16, Marlton, "Amber Von Tussle")
** Kieran Barasch (10, Marlton, "Augustus Gloop") Paige Dougherty (14, Lumberton, "Shelley")
* Erika Dorsett (10, Mount Laurel, "Veruca Salt") Laura Duffy (16, Marlton, "Council Member")
** Chloe Edwards (13, Lumberton, "Ms. Teavee") ** Juliet Morgan (15, Moorestown, "Lou Ann")
* Valerie Goetter (13, Mt. Laurel, "Mrs. Gloop") Julia Ricci (15, Moorestown, "Council Member")
** Emma Hong (10, Cherry Hill, "Matilda") Julia Scott (16, Moorestown, "Edna Turnblad")
** JT Mozes (12, Lumberton, "Charlie Bucket") * Faith Sirdashney (15, Berlin, "Ensemble")
* Chance Neal (10, Mt. Laurel, "Mike Teavee") ** Ethan Zeligson (16, Marlton, "Brad")

Broadway Junior Slam Nominees (eight cast members nominated by each Directing Team):
Academy A (Willy Wonka, Jr.) Academy B (Hairspray, Jr.)
* Colin Berkey (13, Hainesport, "Willy Wonka") * Selena Bianchi (17, Medford, "Tracy Turnblad")
Javon Crawford (13, Sicklerville, "Mike Teavee") * Kayman Brown (15, Edgewater Park, "Gilbert")
Angela Cucinotta (11, Cinnaminson / Mt. Laurel, "Mr. Trout") Ryan Coggan (17, Hainesport, "Link Larkin")
Francesca Merlino (10, Cherry Hill, "Violet Beauregarde") Aren Duffy (15, Marlton, "Corny Collins")
Jonathan Sanie (13, Marlton, "Grandpa Joe") Indi Ebo (16, Lumberton, "Motormouth Maybelle")
Lily Sims (10, Mt. Laurel, "Mike Teavee") Alyssa Miles (15, Marlton, "Brenda")
Nick Sirdashney (11, Berlin, "Mike Teavee") Zoey Schaeffer (13, Lumberton, "Penny Pingleton")
* Samantha Twisler (10, Mt. Laurel, "Grandma Josephina") Nick Williams (16, Moorestown, "Seaweed")
* Colin Berkey, Selena Bianchi, Kayman Brown, and Samantha Twisler were chosen by the JTF Staff to perform in a song in front of the 6,000+ attendees that they had one hour to learn (just like the "Broadway Jr. All-Stars‟ did above).

The attached images were provided by the Moorestown Theater Company.