It was another wonderful night for awards as the Newark Drama Club May 26th took home 10 ELENBE awards at the 30th annual Wayne County Performing Arts Awards Celebration.
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Five of the awards pertained to the fall drama production of “Anne of Green Gables” including it being the winner of Best Drama Production. Five of the awards were for the spring musical production of “Legally Blonde.”
Both productions were wonderfully directed by Newark High School English 11 teacher Emily Howard, who is the Drama Club advisor.
The winners were:
Winner Best Drama: Anne of Green Gables
Lead Actress in a Drama Genevieve Witter as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables (Drama)
Lead Actor in a Drama Braydan Sherman as Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables (Drama)
Producer Award Madison Chamberlin (Drama)
Show Must Go On Isabella Humphrey (Drama)
Lead Actress Kylie Gravino as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (Musical)
Supporting Actress Addison Burgess as Paulette Bonafonte in Legally Blonde (Musical)
Featured Performer Sloane Colling as Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde (Musical)
Show Must Go On Kloie Sergeant (Musical)
Producer Award Owen Gary (Musical)
Howard’s comments about the awards:
• “Anne of Green Gables” is a story about building family and community. Newark Drama aims to foster that same feeling. I’m very proud of the community that was created throughout the rehearsal process.”
•Lead Actress in a Drama Genevieve Witter (Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables): “Genevieve is an exceptional actress who prepares outside the rehearsal room so that we can build character and choices inside the rehearsal room.”
•Lead Actor in a Drama Braydan Sherman as Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables: “Braydan brought a steady calm demeanor to this role. His maturity as an actor was clearly evident in his portrayal.”
•Show Must Go On Drama Bella Humphrey (Anne of Green Gables): “Bella played a matriarch in the show, but she also served as one to many of our cast and crew. She was encouraging to younger members and set a good example of professionalism in the rehearsal room. She has been a vital part of our program the past four years.”
•Producer Award Drama Madison Chamberlin (Anne of Green Gables): ”Madison took on the leadership role of Props Manager in this show. She creatively solved challenges including making potatoes out of stockings and stuffing. She consistently shows up to help at set build and is a huge asset to our program.”
•Lead Actress Musical Kylie Gravino as Elle Woods( Legally Blonde): “Kylie anchored the production of “Legally Blonde” with determination and dedication. The role
required both consistency and skill, which she demonstrated throughout the rehearsal process and in performance.”
•Supporting Actress Musical Addison Burgess as Paulette Bonafonte (Legally Blonde): “Addison is a powerhouse performer. This role allowed her to showcase her vocal and comedic skills – all while creating a relationship with her scene partners.”
• Featured Performer Musical Sloane Colling as Brooke Wyndham (Legally Blonde): “Sloane had a very challenging task singing and jump roping at the same time. Her hard work definitely paid off.”
•Producer Award Musical Owen Gary (Legally Blonde): “Owen joined our set team and took on several design and build projects. He helped ensure that our set pieces functioned properly. Having him on the Deck Crew also meant he was fixing broken wheels or platform sections before each show. He was a fantastic addition to our program this year.”
•Show Must Go On Musical Kloie Sergeant (Legally Blonde):. “Kloie was not only our Dance Captain, but she was a leader in our rehearsal room. Her patience, kindness, and preparation are qualities that all our members of our company should aim to emulate.”
ELENBEs are given out each spring at NHS to students and directors involved in musical and dramatic productions in 8 Wayne County schools.
Wayne County Council for the Arts Judges in the contest, annually sponsored by the Lyons National Bank, attend every performance.
As he has done for the last 28 out of 30 years, Don Alhart, retired 13-WHAM TV anchor, beautifully emceed the Wayne County Performing Arts Celebration Master of Ceremonies.
Alhart was introduced by Steve Hasseler, Newark LNB Branch Manager and LNB Assistant Vice President.
Lyons National Bank has funded this program in its entirety since the first year. The name of the award, The ELENBE, finds its source in the LNB letters representing the Lyons National Bank.
The Wayne County Performing Arts Awards Celebration program (The ELENBES) was founded by former Newark Central School District Superintendent Robert Christmann, who was also Superintendent of the Grand Island School District before retiring in 2012.
Newark Superintendent Susan Hasenauer, who spoke at the ceremony, and NHS Principal Kelly A. Zielke congratulated Howard and the Newark Drama Club on their outstanding achievements and awards.