Harford County Drama Students Awarded for Excellence at Fifth Annual North East Theater Festival

From the North East Theatre Festival:

This past weekend (February 17 & 18), drama students from around the region participated in the Fifth Annual North East Theatre Festival, at Bel Air High School. The students and their teachers joined theatre professionals and college professors for various workshops, competitions and performances for each other including storytelling.

Participating schools included: Aberdeen High School, Bel Air High School, C. Milton Wright High School, Clarksburg High School, Edgewood High School, Harford Tech High School, John Carroll High School, North Caroline High School, North Harford High School, Old Mill High School, Patterson Mill High School and Towson High School.

Participating colleges and organizations included: The Baltimore Improv Group, Barbizon Lighting Company, East Shore Sound, Elizabethtown College, Frostburg University, Harford Community College, The “I Love Theatre” Gift Shop, Phoenix Festival Theatre, Tidewater Players, University of Delaware, University of Maryland Baltimore County and West Virginia University.

Throughout the weekend, students were able to take workshops with the participating theatre professionals, enjoy main-stage presentations from various attending schools as well as participating in adjudicated events.

Festival awards were presented at the conclusion of the event. Students performed in various competitions throughout the weekend and awards were presented to the following students who excelled in their particular area:

Vocal Competition
Clarksburg High School: Kevin Grossi, Patrick Evans, Rachel Jones, Claire Thomas, Daniela Hernandez and Taylor Stull
Edgewood High School: Marki Higgins
North Caroline High School: Sam Martin
North Harford High School: Jessie Zawadowicz
Patterson Mill High School: Vincent Kalwa and Katie Farlow

Technical Portfolio Competition
Clarksburg High School: Jessica Halem – Lighting Design

Playwriting
North Harford High: Jessi Zawadowicz – “All American Card Game”

Monologue Competition
Clarksburg High School: Rachel Jones and Ally Jubault
Edgewood High School: Isaac Reeb and Ellie Ali
North Harford High School: Laura Ebsworth and Jessie Zawadowicz
Old Mill High School: Isaac Snyder and Catherine Botescu

Scene Competition
Bel Air High: Brendan Morrison and Miranda Haney
Clarksburg High School: Rachel Johnson and Madeline Anderson
North Caroline High: Sam Martin and Olivia Litteral

Dance Competition
Clarksburg High School: Amanda Rosenfeld – Outstanding Showmanship
Clarksburg High School: Georgia Schneider – Overall Performance
Harford Tech High School: Breana Hurley – Original Choreography
John Carroll High School: Kyleigh Daiker – Overall Performance
Old Mill High School: Matt Crook – Outstanding Technique
Patterson Mill High School: Megan Valle – Original Choreography

Improvisation Showcase
Bel Air High: Brendan Morrison and Julia Streett
Patterson Mill High: Madeleine Favazza and Vincent Kalwa

Awards were also presented for Excellence in Acting on the Mainstage:

Main Stage Performances

Aberdeen High School: Juvie – Anna Etzel, Jacob Reidal
Bel Air High School: Almost, Maine – Miranda Haney, Brendan Morrison
C. Milton Wright High: The Foreigner – Emma Marzen, Matt Teitlebaum
Clarksburg High School: A Curtain Call to Arms – Kevin Grossi, Rachel Johnson
Edgewood High School: 12 Angry Pigs – Isaac Reeb, Christine Phillips
North Caroline High School: Plots – Caitlyn Poole, Olivia Litteral
North Harford High School: Steel Magnolias – Jessie Zawadowicz, Tori Lackey
Old Mill High School: Medea/Desire, Desire, Desire – Joe Leitess, Isaac Snyder, Catherine Botescu, Brittany Botescu, Coralee Mueller, Czarina Flores
Patterson Mill High School: Ladies of the Mop – Maddie Favazza, Robin Nichols

Troupe Sponsors
Aberdeen High School: Holly Coverstone
ABel Air High School: Chuck Bowden, Terri Mathews and Benjamin Smith
C. Milton Wright High School: Gaylynn Price
Clarksburg High School: Michelle Meyer
Edgewood High School: Dawn Sinclair
Harford Tech High School: Jessica Brockmeyer & Emily Knowles
John Carroll High School: Kim Brueggemann
North Caroline High School: Katherine and Paul Schoonover
North Harford High School: Nancy Green
Old Mill High School: Krista Parker
Patterson Mill High School: Shane Jensen
Towson High School: Joe Kimball

The Festival staff included theatre professionals and educators from around the region:

Mr. Lee Blair
Director of Undergraduate Acting — West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance
Scene and Monologue Competitions, Workshop Instructor

Mr. Chuck Bowden
North East Theater Festival Director
Technical Director, Mainstage Coordinator

Mr. Allan Carlsen
University of Delaware Department of Theatre
Scene and Monologue Competitions

Ms. Christina Enoch
Baltimore Improv Group
Improvisation Workshop, Improv Showcase

Dr. Benjamin Fisler
Director — Harford Community College Division of Theatre
Stage Combat Workshops, Method of Acting Workshop

Mr. Logan Garrett
West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance
Stage Rigging and Hardware Workshops

Mr. Larry Hensley
Company Manager – Phoenix Festival Theatre

Ms. Bambi Johnson
Dance Adjudication, Dance, Dance, Dance Workshop

Mr. Eyvo Johnson
Dance Adjudication

Mr. Robert Klingelhoefer
Director of Design and Technology Program — West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance
Scene Design Decisions Workshops, Technical Portfolio Competition

Dr. Alan Kreizenbeck
Chair — University of Maryland Baltimore County Department of Theatre
Beginning Scene Work Workshops

Ms. Terri Mathews
North East Theater Festival Director
Competitive Events Coordinator

Mr. Brad Minardi
Barbizon Lighting Company
Lighting 101 Workshop, Advanced Lighting Workshop

Mr. Ryan Nicotra
Company Director — The BOOM Theatre Company
Method of Acting Workshop, Mainstage Evaluations

Ms. Fatima Petersen
Vocal Competitions, Vocal Workshops

Mrs. Gay Lynn Price
C. Milton Wright High School
Costuming Workshops

Mr. Bill Saltzer
President — East Shore Sound
Sound 101 & Advanced Sound Workshops

Mr. Benjamin Smith
North East Theater Festival Director
Enrollment Coordinator, Managing Director

Ms. Laurie Starkey
Tidewater Players
Vocal Competitions

Mr. Justin Stockton
Harford Community College Division of Theatre
Stagecraft 101 Workshop, Scene Design Workshop

Mr. Stephen Thomas
Directing Workshops, Mainstage Evaluations

Mrs. Jackie Walsh
Harford Community College
Vocal Competitions

Mrs. Jennifer Wiley-Stockton
JWS Entertainment
New York Bound Workshop

Mr. Serle-Alan Wise
Directing Workshops, Mock Auditions

Mr. Richard Wolf-Spencer
Elizabethtown College Division of Theatre and Dance
Color Theory Workshops

Mrs. Mairzy Yost-Rushton
Frostburg University Department of Theatre and Dance
Auditions Dos and Don’ts Workshop , Scene and Monologue Competitions, Mock Auditions