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PHS Theatre receives 17 Jester Award nominations

4/25/2018

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Pittsburg High School Theatre's production of “The Little Mermaid,” the musical, has been nominated by Music Theatre Wichita for Jester Awards in 17 categories.

During the past eight months, MTWichita judges reviewed 127 performances by 41 Kansas schools. The Jester Awards program is designed to celebrate excellence in high school musical theater. Each year, trained volunteer judges attend and evaluate dozens of performances.

This year, 102 judges viewed 127 performances of 41 productions, involving more than 2,800 students and 41 schools across Kansas.

“Being involved in the Jester's organization is great for our program, and to be recognized in 17 categories for one show is a huge honor,” Shaw said. “It’s certainly humbling that they think highly of what we're doing here.”

It's been another in a string of successes by PHS Theatre this year; the fall musical, "Urinetown," was chosen for State in January, and then qualified as one of only 11 schools in the nation to be performed at the International Thespian Festival in June. The Jester Awards Ceremony — a red carpet, black tie affair — will be held in Wichita in May.

“It's always nice to get feedback, especially from people who see lots and lots of theater, that you're doing things at a high level,” Shaw said. “Our kids being featured on stage at Jester’s is a feather in their cap and something they will always remember.”

This is the third year in a row PHS has participated in being judged by the Jester Awards program and the third year in a row PHS has earned nominations, although this year is special: it’s the highest number of nominations yet for a single production.

In 2017, PHS earned 17 nominations for two shows (“Seussical” and “The Addams Family”), coming home from the awards ceremony with 11 Jester Awards. In 2016, PHS earned 18 nominations for two shows (“Shrek” and “Band Geeks”), coming home with 15 awards.

This year, rules stipulated that each school could be judged on just one production. PHS opted to have “The Little Mermaid,” performed in February at Memorial Auditorium, judged for consideration.

The nominations PHS earned for “The Little Mermaid” are:
  • overall production
  • direction of show (Greg Shaw)
  • leading actress (McKenna Shaw for Arial and Cassie Hurt-McLarty for Ursula)
  • supporting actor (Matt Buck for Flounder)
  • cameo performer (Gabe Anderson for Chef Louise)
  • best ensemble/chorus
  • orchestra direction (Cooper Neil)
  • vocal music direction (Susan Laushman)
  • artistic guest (Maggie Stephens and Mollie Stephens, choreography)
  • technical achievement (Hazel Harper, hair/makeup)
  • scenic design (Chuck Boyles/Greg Shaw)
  • stage crew
  • design guest (Todd Hoover-Holthus and Phillip Hoover-Holthus, costume design; Jason Huffman, sound design; and Kyle Newby, lighting design)
  • graphic design (Anita White).

The Jester Awards Ceremony will take place at Century II Performing Arts Center’s Convention Hall in Wichita on Sunday, May 6, at 4 p.m. Honorees in 25 categories will be announced during the ceremony, and several of the honorees — including the full ensemble of Little Mermaid, Cassie Hurt-McLarty, and McKenna Shaw — will perform. The crew and pit band also will attend.

“Theater provides so many young people with a sense of community. Together, they learn the value of work, collaboration, creativity, and dedication,” said MTWichita Board President Michelle Moe Witte. “Their work is inclusive and so are the Jester Awards. Whether they belted out a tune on stage, ran the sound board, or created the program – this is their night to shine. It is our opportunity to celebrate all that they have accomplished and to honor the community they have created.”
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Scholarship awards also will be presented to three students, lead male and female honorees and a technical theater recipient.

Tickets to the ceremony are $10 each and may be purchased at the door, online at mtwichita.org, or by calling the Music Theatre Wichita box office at 316-265-3107.
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Alumni of the Jester Awards program can be seen onstage and backstage at Music Theatre Wichita this summer, as well as on Broadway and in regional theaters across the country.
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Bias, hate, and discrimination in America

4/2/2018

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For the 11th year, Pittsburg High School’s Rep Theatre class is shining a spotlight on a national social issue in the form of an original theatrical performance.

This year, the theme is bias, hate, and discrimination, and it will come to life on stage at Memorial Auditorium, 503 N. Pine in Pittsburg, April 18 and April 20, under the direction of Greg Shaw, PHS theater teacher.

Past years have seen the class research and commission an original play by professional playwright Debbie Lamedman on timely topics such as school violence, eating disorders, climate change, bullying, prescription drug abuse, dating violence, Autism and differences, socio-economic diversity, technology addiction, and mental illness/depression. Their shows have drawn national attention and helped secure a national Character Education award for PHS.

Lamedman, who lives in Oregon, is also a director, acting coach, and author and editor of eight acting books.

This year's show is called "The Chasm Between Us: A close examination of bias, hate and discrimination in America.”

“The idea behind this piece is to present and portray various situations where we evidence discrimination, bias and hate in daily life,” Lamedman said.

For senior Miranda Madden, an award-winning member of the theatre program’s technical crew, it was a chance to be on stage again — something she doesn’t do often. It also was an eye-opening experience.

“I haven’t experienced bullying or discrimination, but I’ve struggled with self-image,” Madden said. “This play has really opened my eyes and shown me that everyone has a story. It’s made me realize that it’s OK and I’m not alone.”

“My character says, ‘We are all fighting the same battle every day. To love ourselves, as we are.’ The play has taught me that we’re all more alike than we are different, but those differences are what make us unique.”

In one scene, neighbors discussing a crime that happened the previous day blame a Muslim family.

“They don’t ever say anything rude straight to my character,” said Mona Estes, a sophomore who plays a member of the Muslim family, “but they definitely make me out to be a monster.”

Estes, who is African-American, said prior to being in the play, her definition of discrimination was limited to what she has experienced herself, including racism and sexism.

“But there is ageism and slandering those who have grown up in a different country,” she said. “Being in this play has opened my eyes to a lot of things. It’s also taught me to take more time to judge a person — their outside appearance does not always equal what’s inside. There’s a lot that I hope people learn from watching this play.”

Shaw said the show is relevant not just locally, but nationally. Data released by the FBI in 2017 indicate hate crimes are on the rise, particularly against Jews, Muslims, and LGBT people, the data shows. There were more than 6,100 reported incidents of hate crimes in 2016, up from 5,800 the year before, according to the report.
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According to data released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2015, white Americans use drugs more than black Americans, but blacks are arrested for drug possession more than three times as often as whites. The U.S. Sentencing Commission found that black men receive prison sentences that are 19.5 percent longer than those of white men who committed the same crimes.

The 45-minute production will be appropriate for middle and high school aged students. After each show, the cast and community members will take the stage to conduct a 15- to 20-minute "talk-back" Q&A session with audience members, who may ask questions of the cast or the director.

There will be one public performance at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18. School performances will be held during the day on Friday, April 20. Schools should call Memorial Auditorium at 620-231-7827 prior to April 20 to register so seating can be reserved. There is no cost to attend and no tickets required. For more information, email Shaw at gshaw@usd250.org
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Pittsburg High School • Part of USD 250 Community Schools • Pittsburg, Kansas • 620-235-3200


Created for Pittsburg High School Theatre by Andra Stefanoni
  • Welcome
  • About
    • Courses
    • Auditions
    • Faculty
    • Theatre Etiquette
    • Awards & Recognition
  • Shows
    • Clue
    • Forbidden Broadway
    • Breakfast With Santa
    • Spamalot
    • Social Issue Plays
    • Just Off Broadway Theatre Camp
  • Thespian Troupe 3149
    • Officers
  • A look back
    • Show History
    • Trailers
    • Photo Galleries
    • Media Coverage
    • Story of My Life: A Tribute to Derek Brumbaugh
  • Friends
  • News