Honoring excellence
Awards highlight high school theater talentsBy Ashley Gurbal, agurbal@altoonamirror.com
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Isaac winners
Best production
Winner: "Beauty and the Beast," State College Area High School, State College
Runner-up: "Little Shop of Horrors," Central Cambria High School, Ebensburg
Best actor in a leading role
($500 scholarship)
Winner: Nick Finochio as Ren McCormack in "Footloose," Bishop Guilfoyle High School, Altoona
Runner-up: Josh Duman as Seymour Krelborn in "Little Shop of Horrors," Central Cambria High School, Ebensburg
Best actress in a leading role
($500 scholarship)
Winner: Devon Ingold as Rosie Alvarez in "Bye Bye Birdie," Bishop Carroll Catholic High School, Ebensburg
Runner-up: Courtney Lope as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast," State College Area High School, State College
Best actor or actress in a featured role ($500 scholarship)
Winner: Jei-Laya Hassan as Madame Thernardier in "Les Miserables," Richland High School, Johnstown
Runner-up: Kelsey Ingold as Peggy in "Godspell," Penn Cambria High School, Cresson
Achievement in design award
($500 scholarship)
Winner: Catalena Eskey, costume design and construction, "Beauty and the Beast," State College Area High School, State College
Runner-up: Kyle Kelly, set design and construction, "Little Shop of Horrors," Philipsburg-Osceola High School, Philipsburg
Best musical number
Winner: "Suddenly Seymour" from "Little Shop of Horrors," Central Cambria High School, Ebensburg
Runner-up: "Spanish Rose" from "Bye Bye Birdie," Bishop Carroll Catholic High School, Ebensburg
Best featured dance or dancers
Winner: "Be Our Guest" from "Beauty and the Beast," State College Area High School, State College
Runner-up: "Godspell," Penn Cambria High School, Cresson
Best actress in a supporting role ($500 scholarship)
Winner: Meghan McCabe as Kim McAfee in "Bye Bye Birdie," Bishop Carroll Catholic High School, Ebensburg
Runner-up: Ashton Snyder as Bloody Mary in "South Pacific," Tyrone Area High School
Best actor in a supporting role
($500 scholarship)
Winner: Sully McConnell as Willard in "Footloose," Bishop Guilfoyle High School, Altoona
Runner-up: Dominick Matsko as Orin in "Little Shop of Horrors," Philipsburg-Osceola High School, Philipsburg
Actors, dancers and singers from 12 area high schools walked the red carpet Sunday on their way to a night that honored their work in musical theater.
The fourth annual Isaac Awards were presented at the Mishler Theatre in downtown Altoona to schools from Blair, Bedford, Cambria and Centre counties.
A panel of judges from Altoona Community Theatre attended productions at each school and evaluated them, choosing nominees and ultimately the winners.
The winners of best actor and actress in a leading role, best actor and actress in a supporting role, best actor or actress in a featured role and achievement in design were given $500 scholarships.
Great Commission School in Altoona was the winner of a random drawing for $1,000 to be put toward the budget of next year's theatrical production.
Eight of the schools took home awards, with State College Area High School's production of "Beauty and the Beast" winning top honors for best production, along with runners-up finishes in the best actress in a leading role, best featured dance or dancers and achievement in design categories.
It was the first year State College had participated in the Isaacs.
Eighteen-year-old Courtney Lope, who played Belle in the production and was the runner-up for best actress in a leading role, said she was "thrilled" the day she learned of her nomination.
The role of Belle, she said, "was a little girl's dream come true."
"It's really cool," Courtney said after her red carpet interview with ACT member Gina Volpe.
"It's a good opportunity for all of us."
Runner-up for best production was Central Cambria High School in Ebensburg with its show "Little Shop of Horrors."
The school also won best musical number for "Suddenly Seymour," and Josh Duman was runner-up for best actor in a leading role for his portrayal of Seymour Krelborn.
Also taking home three awards was Bishop Carroll Catholic High School for its production of "Bye Bye Birdie": Meghan McCabe as Kim was best actress in a supporting role; Devon Ingold as Rose Alvarez was best actress in a leading role; and "Spanish Rose" was runner-up for best musical number.
Bishop Guilfoyle High School's presentation of "Footloose" received best actor awards in both the leading role and supporting role categories, going to Nick Finochio as Ren McCormack and Sully McConnell as Willard, respectively. Likewise, Bishop Carroll's "Bye Bye, Birdie" received the best actress awards in both the leading and supporting categories, going to Devon Ingold as Rosie Alvarez and Meghan McCabe as Kim McAfee, respectively.
Philipsburg-Osceola High School in Philipsburg, a new participant in the Isaacs, took home two awards for "Little Shop of Horrors." Kyle Kelly was runner-up for achievement in design, and Dominick Matsko was runner-up for best actor in a supporting role for his work as Orin Scrivello.
Two awards were also given to Penn Cambria High School in Cresson for its production of "Godspell": Kelsey Ingold as Peggy was runner-up for best actor or actress in a featured role, and the school's dance troupe was runner-up for best dance or dancers.
Ashton Snyder as Bloody Mary in Tyrone Area High School's "South Pacific" was runner-up for best actress in a supporting role.
The Mishler Theatre was filled to capacity for the evening, said ACT operations manager Steven C. Helsel. Several of the schools performed musical numbers from their productions. Two representatives from each high school performed in the opening number, "The Theatre Kids Are in Town." ACT member Jonathan O'Harrow wrote the lyrics and musical accompaniment to the song, and ACT member Molly Riva did the choreography.
"It's just wonderful to see - especially the smaller schools," Helsel said. "I've been to their schools, and I was saying to somebody that, watching them sing up to the second balcony - I can't imagine how it must feel for them."
The night was "really exciting" for Hailey Mitchell, 18, of Altoona, who was nominated for best actress in a leading role for her work as Susan Lawrence in "Big."
"This is something totally different," Hailey said. "I feel like a celebrity."
Mirror Staff Writer Ashley Gurbal is at 946-7435.
