2021 International Thespian Excellence Awards Winners Announced

Broadway has the Tonys. Hollywood has the Oscars. Thespians have the Thespys. The International Thespian Excellence Awards, or Thespys for short, recognize the highest level of achievement in school theatre performance and technical theatre.

The second annual awards presentation was the culminating event at the Educational Theatre Association's International Thespian Festival, the ultimate celebration of school theatre. The festival was held virtually July 22-25, 2021, for a second year in a row due to COVID-19.

The educational program gives Thespians - students who have been inducted into the International Thespian Society, the honor organization for theatre students - the opportunity to receive constructive feedback on prepared theatrical material and technical designs. Students who achieve overall Superior ratings at their chapter event and earn top scores in their category at the International Thespian Festival earn Thespy Awards. Thirty-nine students were honored at this year's ceremony.

"The Thespy Awards represent the highest level of achievement in school performance and technical theatre," said EdTA executive director Julie Cohen Theobald. "These award winners have shown tremendous dedication and effort to earn this recognition. We're thrilled to be able to honor them during the Showcase and throughout the year."

The 2021 Thespys recipients and their categories are as follows:

Costume Construction

Bennett Cooper - The Phantom of the Opera
Joel E. Ferris High School; Troupe 1506; Spokane, WA

Margaret Hammond - Shrek
Nuview Bridge Early College High School; Troupe 8117; Nuevo, CA

Costume Design

Margaret Hammond - Urinetown
Nuview Bridge Early College High School; Troupe 8117; Nuevo, CA

Duet Acting

Jordan Brandt and Dane Lackey - Leading Ladies
Marble Falls High School; Troupe 3701; Marble Falls, TX

Cody Dixon and Trysten Williams - Jitney
George Washington Carver Magnet High School; Troupe 6753; Houston, TX

Duet Musical

Aniela Erwin and Nicole Minar - "I Don't Know His Name" from She Loves Me
Northern Burlington County Regional High School; Troupe 4762; Columbus, NJ

Group Acting

Jakob Barton, Seth McCrary, Reece Jones, Jakob Kaweki - The Boys Next Door
Andrews High School; Troupe 1580; Andrews, TX

Group Musical

Nicole Gee, Christopher Duncan, Ashwin Hillenbrand, Mia Subora, Kenzi Patton, Rachel Lazarou, and Hannah Bronsell - "Skid Row" from Little Shop of Horrors
John Randolph Foster High School; Troupe 7961; Richmond, TX

Lighting Design

Claire Charvet - She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurer's Edition
Juanita High School; Troupe 3422; Kirkland, WA

Maxine Palmerton - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Lewis and Clark High School; Troupe 6356; Spokane, WA

Makeup Design

Athena Jett - Into the Woods
Bishop Gorman Catholic High School; Troupe 4347; Las Vegas, NV

Monologue

Corinne Fischer - Eleemosynary/Dance Nation
Roosevelt High School; Troupe 5832; Seattle, WA

Playwriting

Jacki Vellandi - Reverie
Orange County School of the Arts; Troupe 6826; Santa Ana, CA

Scenic Design

Caroline Yim - The Hound of the Baskervilles
Juanita High School; Troupe 3422; Kirkland, WA

Short Animated Film

Ryan Kang - The Mask Task
Marianas High School; Troupe 5374; Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Sophie Littig - By My Side
Los Alamitos High School; Troupe 7944; Los Alamitos, CA

Short Film

Alvaro Velazquez - The Strait
Wylie High School; Troupe 2395; Wylie, TX

Solo Musical

Layla Abu Saada - "Lost in the Brass" from Band Geeks
Olathe East High School; Troupe 5078; Olathe, KS

Madeline King - "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from Camelot
Olathe East High School; Troupe 5078; Olathe, KS

McKayla Mitchell - "I'm Here" from The Color Purple
Springfield Township High School; Troupe 1154; Oreland, PA

Grace McKenna - "When the Music Played" from Dr. Zhivago
Neshaminy High School; Troupe 8046; Langhorne, PA

Grace Sorensen - "Changing My Major" from Fun Home
Redmond Proficiency Academy, Troupe 7715; Redmond, OR

Sound Design

Eleanor Madderra - Return to the Forbidden Planet
The Mount Vernon School; Troupe 7702; Sandy Springs, GA

Emma Stellmach - The Nether
Brownsburg High School; Troupe 2108; Brownsburg, IN

Stage Management

Ona Alumbaugh - Everybody
Roosevelt High School ; Troupe 5832; Seattle, WA

Natalie Lawton - Bright Star
Redmond Proficiency Academy; Troupe 7715; Redmond, OR

Pradanya Subramanyan - Heathers The Musical (High School Edition)
Clements High School; Troupe 3689; Sugar Land, TX

Theatre Marketing

Hillary Altes - Radium Girls
Francis Parker School; Troupe 8171; San Diego, CA

This year also marks the launch of the Grace Kelly Scholarship program in conjunction with the Thespy Awards, with $35,000 in financial support awarded to 10 students: Laila Carter of Bogart, GA joins the aforementioned Hammond; Lackey; Lawton; Sorensen; Stellmach; Subramanyan; Vellandi; Williams; and Yim as this year's recipients. The scholarships are funded by the Princess Grace Foundation through a generous donation from the Victory Foundation. Sorensen also received the Amy Bennett Scholarship.