Reston Theater Students Receive National Award At Atlanta Festival

RESTON, VA — Two students from Reston recently received national theater awards at the 2024 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, which took place Jan. 12-14, at Cobb Convention Center in Atlanta.

As part of the festival, each student group performed 15 minutes of a Broadway Junior musical for the judges.

Lopez Studios, Inc., which is a private performing arts school located at 11425 Isaac Newton Square in Reston, presented a performance of "Shrek The Musical JR," to Shay Rodgers, choreographer for education videos produced by iTheatrics and creator of the Academy for Theatre Under the Stars, and Robert Hindsman, adult programs manager with Alliance Theatre Education.

Ayden Brook and Jessica Gross, who are students at Lopez Studios, were named Junior Theater Festival Performance All-Stars.

“This group was full of energy and dynamic focus,” Rodgers said of the school's performance. “The dance training was amazing, and I look forward to seeing what they bring us in the future."

“Lopez Studio’s performance of 'Shrek The Musical JR.'was explosive from the moment they stepped on the stage," Hindsman said. "Their work was incredibly energetic and the actors were 100 percent committed to their work. Whenever the ensemble sang together, it fully took my breath away. Lopez Studios is sending some of the most confident young actors to JTF that I’ve ever seen on stage. It is apparent that they worked on this show for countless hours to ensure that their performers can bring their best to their performance."