Stageworks Theatre Acting Academy "James and the Giant Peach" company received a huge honor, the 'Excellence in Ensemble Work' award, during the Freddie G Awards Ceremony at the 2024 Junior Theater Festival (JTF) in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 2024. Only 15 out of the 124 companies performing at the festival earned this top honor. It is an even bigger deal because this was the first time Stageworks has attended the international event.
The 2024 Junior Theater Festival had over 6,800 attendees from 30 U.S. States, Washington D.C., and five other countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
JTF is the world’s biggest and best celebration of young people performing musical theater. They bring together student musical theater troupes from all over the world for a weekend of musical theater. Each troupe performs fifteen minutes from a show for adjudication by a panel of musical theater experts. The weekend also features professional development for teachers and production teams, workshops for students and parents, a New Works Showcase featuring new musical adaptations soon to be released, and concludes with a grand finale concert headlined by Broadway’s best! It is an experience you cannot get anywhere else!
"I went into JTF thinking it was just a competition for the kids. I left knowing that JTF is an integral part of celebrating musical theatre and that each and every one of our kids, parents and staff who attend are forever changed and grateful." -Amy Welch, parent and board member
Stageworks Theatre Acting Academy took the company of 20 musical theatre students (and 20 parents), ages 10-16, to the 4-day festival with a 15-minute cut of the musical they performed during the fall semester. An Excellence in Ensemble Work award means the recipients received high praise in all areas of musical theatre, including dance, music, acting, and ensemble work.
This award is truly an incredible achievement. It highlights the hard work and dedication of every single young actor, along with Ryan Scarlata's beautiful vision and direction, Kevyn Eddy’s leadership and direction, Paulina Guerra’s music direction, and Kayleigh Blevins’ choreography. The 15-minute adjudication cut, in which the kids were not allowed to use props, costumes, or makeup, was a perfect combination of acting, singing, and dancing that highlighted the strengths of every child in the cast.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of "James and the Giant Peach"!
If you're interested in getting your child involved in theatre we offer skills classes and productions classes throughout the year. Visit our Acting Academy page for more information!
