'Mean Girls,' 'Cabaret,' among high school musicals nominated for Freddy Awards

EASTON, Pa. — This year's awards ceremony will be so fetch.

Two productions of "Mean Girls: the High School Version," are nominated for Freddy Awards, a program that recognizes excellence in high school theatre.

The awards ceremony will take place at the State Theatre in Easton and also will be broadcast and streamed on WFMZ-TV Channel 69 at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 23.

The Freddys program, now in its 22nd year, was created by the State Theatre in 2003.

About 30 schools from Lehigh and Northampton counties and Warren County, New Jersey, put on spring shows and musicals.

Bangor Area High School's "Mean Girls," is up for 17 awards, while Whitehall High School's version has five nominations.

The nominees

Outstanding performance by an orchestra

• Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School version"
• Easton Area High School, "Bye Bye Birdie"
• Hackettstown High School, "Amelie, Teen Edition"
• Nazareth Area High School, "Disney's The Little Mermaid"
• Parkland High School, "The SpongeBob Musical"
• Phillipsburg High School, "Ronald Dahl's Matilda the Musical"
• Warren Hills Regional, "Ronald Dahl's Matilda the Musical"

Outstanding Use of Scenery

• Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Easton Area High School, "Bye Bye Birdie"
• Emmaus High School, "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Broadway Version"
• Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Liberty, "The Music Man"
• Northern Lehigh High School, "Footloose"
• Parkland High School, the "SpongeBob Musical"
• Phillipsburg High School, "Ronald Dahl's Matilda the Musical"

Courtesy

/

Whitehall High School Theater Department

Outstanding use of costumes

• Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Nazareth Area High School, "Disney's The Little Mermaid"
• Parkland High School, "The SpongeBob Musical."
• Southern Lehigh High School, "The Addams Family School Edition"
• Allen High School, "The Wiz"

Outstanding performance by a male ensemble member

• Jaliel Ward as Kevin G, Bangor Area, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Charles Kenney as Jean Michel, Emmaus High School, "Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Broadway Version"
• Declan Messics as Tommy DeGillis, Liberty High Schoo, "The Music Man"
• Aaron Louw as Chef Louis/Pilot, Nazareth Area High School, "Disney's The Little Mermaid"
• Ethan Silver as Patchy the Pirate, Parkland High School. "SpongeBob the Musical"
• Max Lauton as Rodolfo, Warren Hills Regional High School,"Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical"
• Benito Ortiz as Kevin G, Whitehall High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"

Outstanding performance by a female ensemble member

• Gia Altieri as Mrs. Heron, Ms. Norbury, Mrs. George, Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Faith Gross as Fraulein Fritzie Kost, Dierruff High School, "Cabaret"
• MaryTheresa Fiorini as Anne Riley, Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Isabella Scheirer as Sally Jackson and Thalia, Lehigh Valley Academy, RCS, "The Lightning Thief, the Percy Jackson musical"
• Alicia Gordon as Alice Beineke, Moravian Academy, "The Addams Family, a New Musical Comedy"
• Sophia Merker as Bruce, Phillipsburg High School, "Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical"
• Tori Davis as Alice Beinecke, Southern Lehigh High School, "The Addams Family School Edition"

Outstanding use of lighting

• Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School version"
• Dieruff High School, "Cabaret"
• Emmaus High School, "Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cinderella, Broadway Version"
• Freedom, "42nd Street"
• Hackettstown High School, "Amelie Teen Edition"
• Moravian Academy, "The Addams Family, A New Musical Comedy"
• Parkland High School, "The SpongeBob Musical"
• Whitehall, "Mean Girls, High School Version"

Outstanding Small Ensemble Performance

• Anna Edwards and Kaysiana Yeager, "Stepsisters Lament," Allentown Central Catholic High School, "Rogers and Hammerstein, Cinderella, The Enchanted Edition"
• Bean Cesari, Grace Deeney, Rachel Finkbeiner, Delaney Fox, Sara Greene, Nick Janneck, "Meet the Plastics," Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Mayrali Melendez, Melo Rodriguez, "It Couldn't Please Me More," Dieruff High School, "Cabaret"
• Emily Brown, Julia Brown, Kyra Kelly, Lila Schneider, "A Lovely Night," Emmaus High School, "Rodgers Hammerstein, Cinderella, Broadway Version"
• MaryTheresa Fiorini, Allie Harper, Lydia Hornbaker, Marion Keller, Charlotte Korrapati, Julia Ruhf, "Go Into Your Dance," Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Cameron Dunham, Gracen Frank, Ben Graybeal, John Kounoupis, "Lida Rose," Liberty High School, "The Music Man"
• Chloe Jarjous, Faith Spellacy, "The Colors of Paradise," Salisbury High School, "The Spitfire Grill"

Outstanding use of choreography and musical staging

• Bangor Area High Scchool, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Dieruff High School, "Cabaret"
• Emmaus High School, "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Broadway Version"
• Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Parkland High School, "The SpongeBob Musical"
• Whitehall High School, "Mean Girls High School version"
• Allen High School, "The Wiz"
• Wilson Area High School, "Newsies"

Outstanding performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Bean Cesari as Janice Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Anna Chavolla as Marie Emmaus, "Rogers and Hammerstein, Cinderella, Broadway Version"
• Tori Prostko as Dorothy Brock, Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Addison Geisler as Ursula, Nazareth Area High School, "Disney's The Little Mermaid"
• Megan Holman as Tanya Cresham-Leigh, Northwestern High School, "Mamma Mia"
• Jenna Seasholtz as Wednesday Addams, Southern Lehigh, "The Addams Family School Edition"
• Echo Picone as Miss Honey, Warren Hills Regional, Rolled Dolls, "Matilda the Musical"

Outstanding performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Nick Janneck as Damian, Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Christian Mitchem as Ernst Ludwig, Dieruff High School, "Cabaret"
• Melo Rodriguez as Herr Schultz, Dieruff High School, "Cabaret"
• Joshua Franklin as Harry McAfee, Easton Area High School "Bye Bye Birdie"
• Damon Dellanno as Sebastian, Nazareth Area High School, "Disney's The Little Mermaid"
• Jackson Hunsicker as Willard Hewitt, Northern Lehigh High School, "Footloose"
• Eric Wood as Squidward Q Tentacles, Parkland High School, "SpongeBob Musical"

Outstanding performance by a featured dancer

• Claire De Dominicis as Dove, Allentown Central Catholic, "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Enchanted Edition"
• Lucinda Loftus as Fairy Godmother, Catasauqua, "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella,Enchanted Edition"
• Amy Tirado as Havana Dancer, "North Warren Regional, Guys and Dolls"
• Abbey Gildner as Raccoon Puppeteer and Footman, Northampton Area, "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Broadway Version"
• Tina Andreano as One of Us soloist, Notre Dame High School, "Mamma Mia"
• Amelia Roberto as Acrobat, Warren Hills Regional High School, Rolled Dolls, "Matilda the Musical"
• Liam Coyle as Henry, Wilson Area High School, "Newsies."

Outstanding ensemble

• Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls, High School Version"
• Dieruff High School, "Cabaret"
• Emmaus High School, "Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cinderella, Broadway Version"
• Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Notre Dame High School, "Mamma Mia"
• Parkland High School, "SpongeBob the Musical"
• Southern Lehigh High School, "The Addams Family School Edition"
• Wilson Area High School, "Newsies"

Outstanding Featured Performance by an Actor

• Tyler Alonge as Max Detweiler, Bethlehem Catholic High School, "The Sound of Music"
• Ayden Gonzalez as Cliff Bradshaw, Dieruff High School, "Cabaret"
• Noah Hover as Sebastian, Emmaus High School, "Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cinderella, Broadway Version"
• Matthew Brandle as Uncle Fester, Moravian Academy, "The Addams Family, A New Musical Comedy"
• Agidio Poloni as Patrick Star, Parkland High School, "The SpongeBob Musical"
• Preston Lee as Emile, Warren County Technical, "Goosebumps, The Musical, The Phantom of the Auditorium"
• Alfonso Jaquez as Scarecrow, Allen High School, "The Wiz"

Courtesy

/

Theater Department/Freedom High School

Outstanding Performance by an Actress

• Skyler Young as Olive Ostrovsky Belvedere, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."
• Natalia Vicente as MC, Dierufff High School, "Cabaret"
• Kyra Kelly as Madame, Emmaus High School, "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Broadway Version"
• Marion Keller as Maggie Jones, Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Michela Leiser as young Amelie Georgette, Hackettstown High School, "Amelie Teen Edition"
• Sophia Quartuch as Mrs. Peru, Liberty High School, "The Music Man"
• Mackenzie Hughes as Sophie Sheridan, Notre Dame High School, "Mamma Mia"

Outstanding Production Number

• Bangor Area High School, "Where Do You Belong," ("Mean Girls High School Version")
• Dieruff High School, "Wilkommen," ("Cabaret")
• Emmaus High School, "The Prince is Giving a Ball," ("Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cinderella, Broadway Version")
• Freedom High School, "We're In the Money," ("42nd Street")
• Liberty High School, "Shipoopi," ("The Music Man").
• Nazareth Area High School, "Under the Sea," ("Disney's The Little Mermaid")
• Parkland High School, "Best Day Ever," ("The SpongeBob Musical")
• Wilson Area High School, "Seize the Day," ("Newsies")

Outstanding performance by an actress in a leading role

• Rachel Finkbeiner as Cady Heron, Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
  Sara Green as Regina George, Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Julia Brown as Ella, Emmaus High School, "Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella Broadway Version"
• Julia Ruhf as Peggy Sawyer, Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Kaylee Babiak as Amelie Poulain, Hackettstown High School, "Amelie Teen Edition."
• Scarlett Kashmer as Morticia Adams, Southern Lehigh, The Adams Family School Edition
• Hailey Lara, as Regina George, Whitehall High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"

Outstanding performance by an actor in a leading role

• Jordan Joseph as Albert Peterson, Easton Area High School, "Bye Bye Birdie"
• Aiden Panko as Topher, Emmaus High School, "Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella"
• Connor McClure as Julian Marsh, Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Aydin Aygen as Sky Masterson, North Warren Regional High School, "Guys and Dolls."
•  Vasilis Motsenigos as Spongebob, Parkland High School, "The SpongeBob Musical"
• Patrick D' Amico as Gomez Adams, Southern Lehigh, "The Adams Family School Edition"
• Dylan Penyak as Jack Kelly, Wilson Area High School, "Newsies."

Outstanding overall production by a smaller school

• Allentown Central Catholic, "Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cinderella, Enchanted Edition."
• Hackettstown High School, "Amelie, Teen Edition"
• Moravian Academy, "The Addams Family, A New Musical Comedy"
• North Warren Regional High School, "Guys and Dolls"
• Notre Dame High School, "Mamma Mia"
• Salisbury High School, "The Spitfire Grill"
• Wilson Area High School, "Newsies"

Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical

• Bangor Area High School, "Mean Girls High School Version"
• Dieruff High School, "Cabaret"
• Emmaus High School, "Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cinderella"
• Freedom High School, "42nd Street"
• Nazareth Area High School, "Disney's The Little Mermaid"
• Parkland High School, "SpongeBob the Musical"

For a full list of nominees, go to the Freddy Awards website.