See upcoming high school shows, along with a new award show to celebrate them
Upcoming local high school performances include hit musicals like Shrek, Hadestown, Les Miserables and Mary Poppins
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VESTAL – The Binghamton area is not lacking in the slightest for live theatre.
But sometimes the best place to find creativity and passion on the stage is in the area's high schools as they put on their spring musicals.
Broome County’s first high school musical weekend kicks off on February 20-22 with Whitney Point’s Bye Bye Birdie and Susquehanna Valley’s The Snow Queen.
Tioga, Waverly and Owego-Apalachin already kicked off the season for Tioga County with Anything Goes, Matilda and High School Musical, respectively.
And this year comes with an added twist, and extra celebration.
The inaugural Greater Binghamton High School Musical Theatre Awards and a corresponding workshop will take place on the weekend of May 23 and 24.
Jessica Brookes, an Apalachin native, saw the impact a regional high school theatre award program can have while living in Memphis acting and teaching. She said she teamed up with local vocalist Michelle Kearly Tompson and reached out to Professor Tommy Iafrate at Binghamton University to set up the program.
“It's just building excitement and momentum for arts, even at the high school level,” Brookes said.
“We've got folks from schools going into other schools and just trying to get things more connected, because I think this area is very rich in terms of talent and theatre and performing arts projects, but sometimes it feels like they happen in isolation.”
Celebrating and Learning
A lot of work goes into these high school productions.
After what can sometimes be months of rehearsal, the handcrafting of stages and costumes, many hours put in by the faculty volunteers and the effort of dozens of students – these shows typically culminate in only two or three performances.
During the season, adjudicators from the local theatre world will visit participating school productions to evaluate for categories like overall musical production, lead and supporting performances, ensemble, choreography, technical design and more.
“The awards ceremony will not serve as a competition, but rather a celebration,” the event's website says.
New York State high schools within a 50 mile radius of the City of Binghamton were eligible and contacted by the organizers, Brookes said.
Eleven high schools across the region will be participating: Candor, Chenango Valley, Cortland, Groton, Ithaca, Moravia, Norwich, Odessa-Montour, Tully, Watkins Glen and Whitney Point.
While a new idea to this area, nearby regions like Syracuse, Rochester, Northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley host or have hosted in the past their own high school-level regional musical theatre awards.
Brookes said schools that opted out cited being unsure of the award aspect or wanting to see how this year goes before participating in the future.
Two students from each participating school will attend a two-day workshop at Binghamton University to participate in masterclasses on topics like song interpretation and mock auditions with professors and theatre professionals. The event culminates in the award ceremony and accompanying performances.
“It's really giving the kids a peek into what the college experience would be like,” Brookes said.
“And getting to meet a large group of kids from all over that love what they love and do what they do.”
She says at this point organizers are doing a lot of problem-solving and collaborating to make sure the event goes well for the students.
The competition is not currently eligible for the national Jimmy Awards, but organizers hope they can become eligible in the future.
The program announced it still has 20 spots open spots for individual performers from non-competition schools in the area to participate in the workshops and masterclasses. Interested students can apply here.
Those interested in adjudicating or sponsoring the program can apply on the Greater Binghamton High School Musical Theatre Awards website.
See upcoming regional high school productions
🐦Whitney Point
Bye Bye Birdie
Feb. 20-21
Tickets and Information
👸Susquehanna Valley
The Snow Queen
Feb. 20-22
Tickets and Information
🍅Binghamton
Something Rotten!
March 6-8
Tickets and Information
🇺🇸Vestal
1776 the Musical
March 12-15
Vestal CSD Facebook
🦁Chenango Forks
The Wizard of Oz
March 13-15
Chenango Forks CSD Facebook
🏝️Johnson City
Once on This Island
March 13-15
Show Information
🫏Windsor
Shrek The Musical
March 12-14
Windsor CSD Facebook
🎺Norwich
Hadestown
March 14-15
Norwich CSD Facebook
💃Candor
Mamma Mia!
March 14-15
Tickets and Information
🎺Union-Endicott
Hadestown
March 19-22
Tickets and Information
🇫🇷Chenango Valley
Les Misérables
March 20-22
Chenango Valley CSD Facebook
🫏Newark Valley
Shrek The Musical
March 20-21
Facebook Event
🥁Greene
The Music Man
March 27-29
Tickets and Information
☂️Maine-Endwell
Mary Poppins
April 17-19
Maine-Endwell CSD Facebook
🎠🙏Thank you for reading!
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