Theatre 308, Darien High School’s acting and performance arts club, took top honors recently at two state-wide awards programs.
Halo Awards
For the second year in a row, both of Theatre 308’s mainstage productions have received nominations for the The Halo Awards, an award ceremony that honors high school student achievements in dramatic and musical theater from over 60 high schools throughout Connecticut.
Photo from Darien Public Schools News of the Week newsletter
The award-winning troupe: If you recognize any of these people, congratulate them!
Freshman Jackson Wood took home “Best Featured Dancer” for his performance in the spring musical Footloose.
Senior Lexi Staubi, who starred as Ariel in Footloose, was awarded a performing arts scholarship as she prepares to go the University of Southern California this fall for acting.
Junior Mackenzie Lauture, a dance captain for the show, also won a dance scholarship to take classes this summer at the Molinari Dance Studio in New York City.
Stephen Sondheim Awards
In addition to the Halo Awards, this year’s musical main stage was entered in the first ever Stephen Sondheim Awards, the gateway production into the National High School Musical Theater Awards show, also known as the Jimmy Awards.
Footloose took home four awards, more than any other show in the field of 14 high schools.
Last night, Junior Justin Mossa took home honors for Best Set Design.
Sophomore Sophie Howard won for Best Costumes.
Senior and outgoing 308 president Kailey Anderson won The Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation Scholarship, one of only two students to receive this honor from the nearly 30 students nominated.
All told, this year’s Theatre 308 season earned 15 nominations at the Halos and 7 more at the Sondheim.
“The students of Theatre 308 have a lot of be proud of!” said Tim Sorensen, this year’s musical director, who also took home the Sondheim for Best Direction. “The students in both shows are tremendously talented and work extremely hard. It’s really an honor to get so much recognition when compared to other tremendous programs across the state.”
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— Marc Marin is district director of instructional technology. This article is republished from the Darien Public Schools News of the Week newsletter.