Student musical theater performers and crew members from four Centre County high schools were honored during the 19th annual Isaac Awards on Saturday and Sunday at Mishler Theatre in Altoona.
Productions by Bellefonte Area, Bald Eagle Area, Philipsburg-Osceola Area and State College Area high schools garnered more than two dozen nominations and took home six awards.
Organized by Altoona Community Theatre, the Isaac Awards encourage and support excellence in high school musical theater with an annual ceremony recognizing student achievement. The 2024 Isaacs included 20 schools from a six-county area (Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield and Huntingdon).
Judges attend each participating school’s performances beginning in November and ending April 30 and select nominees in 12 categories. In 2017, the Isaac Awards expanded to two night because of the high number of participating schools, with each night having its own set of judges and awards.
SATURDAY AWARDS
Bellefonte Area High School was the lone Centre County representative among 10 schools competing in the Saturday ceremony. Its production of “Between the Lines” earned six nominations and claimed two awards.
Erin Ashe, who played Delilah McPhee, won the award for Best Lead Actor in a Female Role. Kate Harman won Best Supporting Actor in a Female Role for her portrayal of Grace McPhee.
Eli Rushton was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Male Role for the role of Frump. Julia Huntsinger, Samantha Nedrow, Emma Gadsby and Marissa Yeager received a nomination for Student Choreography.
Cedric Bagwell and Jalyn Meckley earned a Student Design nomination for their hair and make-up design. The Bellefonte student sound crew was nominated for Student Stage Crew.
“Between the Lines” was one of five Best Production nominees.
SUNDAY AWARDS
Bald Eagle Area, Philipsburg-Osceola Area and State College Area high schools each were in competition on Sunday night, picking up a combined 20 nominations and four awards.
State College Area High School
State High’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance” earned eight nominations and won three awards.
Spencer Hardyk, who played Frederick, won Best Lead Actor in a Male Role. Luca Snyder was nominated in the same category for his portrayal of the Pirate King.
Al Eburne took home the Student Design award for costume design. Audrey Shaner and Bri Dzyak were named runner up in the Student Choreography category for “With Catlike Tread, Upon Our Prey We Steal,” which was also nominated for Best Dance.
Hadley Milhomme received a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Female Role for the role of Mabel. The paint crew of Anna Coupland and Cecelia Corro was nominated for Student Stage Crew.
“The Pirates of Penzance” was among five nominees for Best Production.
Philipsburg-Osceola Area High School
Philipsburg-Osceola’s production of “The Addams Family” received eight nominations and one win.
Benjamin Coudriet won Best Featured Actor for the role of Uncle Fester.
Austin Garcia earned a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Male Role for playing Gomez Addams. “The Ancestors” were nominated for Best Ensemble, and Tango De Amor received a nod for Best Musical/Production Number.
Grace Henry and Lenora Levonick were nominated for Student Choreography. Nolan Hite received a Student Design nomination for his set design and construction, and P-O was also nominated for Student Stage Crew.
“The Addams Family” was one of the five nominees for Best Production
Bald Eagle Area High School
BEA’s production of “Seussical” received four nominations.
Alice Crane earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Male Role as The Cat in the Hat. Carlie Evock, who played Sour Kangaroo, and Ashlyn Lucas, who played Gertrude McFuzz, were both nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Female Role.
“The Bird Girls” were among the nominees for Best Ensemble.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Each individual award winner (Actors, Supporting Actors, Featured Actors and Student Design) receives a $1,000 scholarship from Altoona Community Theatre.
Juniors and seniors involved with their high schools’ musical theater programs are also invited to apply for scholarships awarded by Penn State Altoona, Mount Aloysius College and Juniata College.
Among Centre County students, three Philipsburg-Osceola students won scholarships: Maddie Cartwright from Juniata College and Lenora Levonick and Grant Lutz from Penn State Altoona.
Additionally, benefactors Ann and Bill Benzel provide $500 to each school for their next musical’s budget and four schools were selected at random to receive $1,500. Bellefonte was among the four schools picked to receive the bonus money.
