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High school musicals nominated for Totem Pole awards


FAYETTEVILLE - James Buchanan High School leads the way in nominations for this year's Totem Pole Playhouse Awards, which recognizes outstanding achievement in musical theater production and performance by high school students in Adams, Franklin, and Fulton counties.

Named after the Totem Pole Playhouse, one of the longest running, nationally-recognized, fully professional summer theaters in the country, the awards focus solely on the performances of high school students, honoring their acting, singing, and dancing abilities.

James Buchanan High School in Mercersburg, Franklin County, led all schools with a total of 13 nominations for their production of the pop-rock musical, “Jekyll & Hyde.” Chambersburg Area Senior High School’s production of “Hairspray” and Gettysburg Area High School’s production of “Catch Me If You Can” followed with 12 nominations each. The remaining 38 nominations were spread over all 11 participating high schools with every musical receiving multiple nominations, a first in the awards three-year history.

The five high school productions nominated this year for the top prize, the Carl Schurr Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical are: “Jekyll & Hyde,” James Buchanan High School, “Hairspray,” Chambersburg Area Senior High School, “Catch Me If You Can,” Gettysburg Area High School, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” McConnellsburg High School, and “Honk!” at Forbes Road Senior/Junior High School in Fulton County.

The nominees for Outstanding Performance by an Actress and an Actor in a Leading Role are: Sarah Steele, Chambersburg Area Senior High School; Claire Alfree, James Buchanan High School; Emma Ott, McConnellsburg High School; Andrea Crawford, Shippensburg High School; Emily Kane, Waynesboro Area Senior High School; Carter McCleary, Chambersburg Area Senior High School; Grant Sanders, Gettysburg Area High School; Hunter Daugherty, James Buchanan High School; Logan Conner, McConnellsburg High School and McKinley Anderson, New Oxford Middle and High School.

The nominees for Outstanding Performance by an Actress and an Actor in a Supporting Role are: Lauren Zepp, Bermudian Springs High School: Maggie Haynes, Chambersburg Area Senior High School; Lauren Dukehart, James Buchanan High School; Katarina Johansson, Mercersburg Academy; Maggie Dennis, Waynesboro Senior Area High School; Austin Widmann, Chambersburg Area Senior High School; Michael Sechrist, Forbes Rd. Jr./Sr. High School; Antonio Rinaldi / Carl Hanratty, Gettysburg Area High School; Sam Ortbal, James Buchanan High School and Brice Feagley, McConnellsburg High School.

The nominees for Outstanding Performance by a Featured Female and Male Ensemble member are: Bailey Nordin, Chambersburg Area Senior High School; Emilee Mae Sipes, Forbes Road Jr./Sr. High School; Nicole Bridel, Gettysburg Area High School; Veronica Harmon, James Buchanan High School; Grace Bennett, Mercersburg Academy; Justin Garman, Forbes Road Jr./Sr. High School; Ryan Baird, Littlestown High School; Danny Booth, Mercersburg Academy; David Hewitt, Shippensburg High School and Seth Zimmann, Gettysburg Area High School.

The nominees for Outstanding Female and Male Solo Vocal Performance are: Lauren Zepp, Bermudian Springs High School; Maggie Haynes, Chambersburg Area Senior High School; Lauren Dukehart, James Buchanan High School; Katarina Johansson, Mercersburg Academy; Andrea Crawford, Shippensburg High School; Grant Sanders, Gettysburg Area High School; Hunter Daugherty, James Buchanan High School; Logan Conner, McConnellsburg High School; McKinley Anderson, New Oxford Middle and High School and Luke Hershey, Shippensburg High School.

The five nominees for Outstanding Performance by a Featured Dancer are: MacKenzie Harrison, Forbes Rd. Jr./Sr. High School; Mario Ramirez, Gettysburg Area High School; Sara Holden, Littlestown High School; Paige Cavanaugh, Shippensburg High School, and Bill Bautista, Waynesboro Senior Area High School.

The nominees for Outstanding Vocal Duet are: Rachel Waite & Brianna Waters, Forbes Rd. Jr./Sr. High School; Carter McCleary & Anthony Gavazzi, Chambersburg Area Sr. High School;Grant Sanders & Antonio Rinaldi, Gettysburg Area High School; Lauren Dukehart & Claire Alfree, James Buchanan High School; and Katarina Johansson & Dean Patterson, Mercersburg Academy.

The nominees for Outstanding Small Ensemble Performance are: Hairspray/“Mama I’m a Big Girl Now” / Chambersburg Area Senior High School; Catch Me If You Can/“Don’t Break the Rules”/ Gettysburg Area High School; Jekyll & Hyde/“His Work and Nothing More”/James Buchanan High School; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer/“Smart Like That”/McConnellsburg High School; Into the Woods/ “Hello, Little Girl”/Mercersburg Academy.

The nominees for Outstanding Musical Chorus are: “Catch Me If You Can”/Gettysburg Area High School; “Jekyll & Hyde”/ James Buchanan High School; “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”/ McConnellsburg High School; “Les Miserables”/New Oxford Middle and High School; “Beauty and the Beast”/ Shippensburg High School

The nominees for Outstanding Musical Production Number are: “Hairspray”/You Can’t Stop the Beat/ Chambersburg Area Senior High School; “Honk!”/ The Wild Goose Chase/Forbes Road Jr. /Sr. High School; “Jekyll & Hyde”/Murder, Murder/James Buchanan High School; “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”/In the Bible/McConnellsburg High School; “Mary Poppins”/Step in Time/ Waynesboro Area Senior High School.

The nominees for Outstanding Stage Crew: Chambersburg Area Senior High School, Gettysburg Area High School, James Buchanan High School, McConnellsburg High School, New Oxford High School.

Totem Pole’s Producing Artistic Director, Rowan Joseph, will host the awards ceremony at Gettysburg College’s Majestic Theater, at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 15, which will include performances from the nominated actors, actresses, and musicals along with the presentation of the 2016 Totem Pole Awards. Tickets for the awards ceremony are on sale now through the Majestic Theater, and cost $12 for adults and $5 for students.