Winners Revealed At Prime Stage Theatre's 5th Annual High School Drama Awards
15 area high schools were nominated in 16 categories.
Prime Stage Theatre's 5th Annual High School Drama Awards took place Jan. 11, 2025 at Hillman Center for the Performing Arts in Fox Chapel, drawing an enthusiastic audience of nearly 500 students, teachers and supporting family members.
Created by Prime Stage Theatre to recognize excellence in non-musical plays by Pittsburgh-area student actors, directors and production crew, students from 15 area high schools were nominated in 16 categories (see full nominee list).
Pine-Richland High School won Best Overall Production for The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon, which saw two actors in the show win top awards (Jillian Uzelac for Best Actress and Jake Pazin for Best Supporting Actor).
Best Actor award went to Connor Hart of Carlynton High School for the role of Randall Rogers in Sorry, Wrong Show!; Best Supporting Actress award was won by Callie Dailey in Thomas Jefferson High School's Puffs.
Of the competing schools, Pine-Richland High School earned the most wins, taking top honors in six categories: Best Overall Production, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Stage Manager, Best Scenic Design, Program/Poster Design.
Interspersed throughout the evening's award presentations, student ensembles performed short scenes from their nominated productions that displayed a diversity of talent and theme.
"The High School Drama Awards is our way of looking to the future," said Dr. Wayne Brinda, Prime Stage Theatre Producing Artistic Director. "By encouraging these young actors and production specialists in their early efforts, we're building a strong foundation for Pittsburgh theatre in years to come."
Monteze Freeland, co-artistic director of City Theatre, served as master of ceremonies. The evening's special guest was Ben King, a 2018 Carnegie Mellon University drama school graduate now working as production manager for Hudson Scenic Studios in New York. "What makes these awards unique," says Drama Awards coordinator and Prime Stage Theatre board member John Dolphin, "is that to be eligible, the students must be in a backstage leadership role or an onstage performance role. We encourage adult mentorship and assistance, but in the end, these productions are student-run."
Award presenters included actors Wali Jamal, Matt Henderson, Rebecca Godlove, Daina Griffith and Dan Krell, scenic designer Stephanie Mayer-Staley, prop designer Todd Kulik, lighting designer J.R. Shaw, director Kim Weild, stage manager Tina Schackleford, playwright/publicist Lawrence McCullough, Point Park University Program Director of Theatre Production Aaron Bollinger and Prime Stage Theatre artistic director Dr. Wayne Brinda.
Since its founding in 1996, Prime Stage Theatre has presented over 100 plays that introduce student and family audiences to classic and contemporary works of world literature.
The theatre's current 2024-25 Season of Strength, Voices & Hope includes Great Expectations; Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story; I Never Saw Another Butterfly and The Terezin Promise; Twelve Angry Men and a series of one-night specials including First Mothers: The Women Who Raised America's Presidents, How I Learned What I Learned, Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance.
BEST ACTOR
Connor Hart / Carlynton High School
Randall in Sorry, Wrong Show!
BEST ACTRESS
Jillian Uzelac / Pine-Richland High School
Holly in The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jake Pazin / Pine-Richland High School
Blake in The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Callie Dailey / Thomas Jefferson High School
Mr. Voldy and Cedric in Puffs
BEST DIRECTOR
Jack Miller / Quaker Valley High School
Almost, Maine
BEST STAGE MANAGER
Julia Kirkbride, Anjana Palathunkal & Wesley Wright / Pine-Richland High School
The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon
BEST SCENIC DESIGN AND/OR FABRICATION
Wesley Wright / Pine-Richland High School
The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN AND/OR OPERATION
Theo Walsh & Tyler Debski / Chartiers Valley High School
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
BEST PROP DESIGN AND/OR FABRICATION
April Kanai / Carlynton High School
Sorry, Wrong Show!
BEST COSTUME DESIGN AND/OR FABRICATION
Lilith Bohin / Fox Chapel Area High School
Harvey
BEST MAKEUP DESIGN AND/OR APPLICATION
Brianna Zoller / Thomas Jefferson High School
Puffs
BEST USE OF CREATIVE SPECIAL EFFECTS
Tyler Debski / Chartiers Valley High School
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
BEST SOUND DESIGN AND/OR OPERATION
Johnathan Engle, Grayson Jordan, Audrey Matt & Lucy Vetter / Carlynton High School
Sorry, Wrong Show!
BEST ONSTAGE RUN CREW
Kayla Coptis, JP Kaltz, Daniel Lanuka, Izzy Lanuka, M Marko, Jalena Mastropietro,
Aaniyah McFarland & Mia Russell / Chartiers Valley High School
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
BEST PROGRAM/POSTER DESIGN AND/OR FABRICATION
Nicole Short / Pine-Richland High School
The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon
BEST OVERALL PRODUCTION
Pine-Richland High School
The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon
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