Dates Announced for 47th ANNUAL BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE STUDENT THEATER FESTIVAL

The Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) and Newtown Arts Company have announced that the dates for the 47th Annual Bucks County Playhouse Student Theater Festival will be May 8th, 9th and 12th-16th, 2014 at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA.

This year marked the return of the festival to the newly reopened Playhouse after an absence of two years. The BCP Student Theater Festival, produced by Newtown Arts Company and The Playhouse, featured 26 high schools and middle schools from the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area. The festival took place over six days beginning on Monday, April 22nd and welcomed over 700 students, plus an all -star roster of adjudicators and workshop teachers.

"The Bucks County Playhouse is proud to have welcomed such a talented group of young adults back to this historic stage. The competition for the Student Theater Festival gets stronger each year, and this year's contestants have raised the bar." said Jed Bernstein, BCP's Producing Director.

"One of the highlights of this year's festival has been to witness the positive support students exhibited for each other. No matter which school they represented, applause and cheers greeted each performance." said Newtown Arts Company President, Nancy Pickering.

This year's festival was made possible in part by a generous contribution from our sponsor, ShopRite.

Other festival partners included Bitter Bob's Authentic BBQ, McDonald's, Blue Penguin Yogurt, and Millevoi Brothers Auto Centers.

The winners of the 46th Annual Bucks County Playhouse Student Theater Festival included:

MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Christ the King Middle School, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Lawrence High School,Neshaminy High School

Outstanding Production - "The Audition" - Lawrence High School

Outstanding Actor - Harris Rothfeld - "Voices" - Neshaminy High School

Outstanding Actress - Kaitlyn Jones - "Voices" - Neshaminy High School

Outstanding Ensemble - "Hard Candy" - Neshaminy High School

Outstanding Student -Directed Production - "An Old Beagle Called Amour" - Hunterdon Central Regional High School

Outstanding Featured Actor - Shane O'Toole - "The Audition" - Lawrence High School

Outstanding Featured Actress - Phoebe Torsilieri - "Postcards"-

Hunterdon Central Regional High School

Adjudicator's Award for Excellence - Emma Anderson Beavers - "The Audition" -

Lawrence High School

ShopRite Spotlight Award - Daniel Shubiak - "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" -

Christ the King Middle School

Emily Tolnay - "Voices" - Neshaminy High School

Outstanding Solo Performance - Sara Urbaniak - "Mystery of Edwin Drood" -

Christ the King Middle School

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2013

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Clayton High School, Fair Lawn High School, Mater Dei Preparatory School, Vineland High School

Outstanding Production - Vineland High School - "The Wedding Singer"

Outstanding Actor - Vineland High School - "The Wedding Singer" - Elias Rivera

Outstanding Actress - Vineland High School - "The Wedding Singer" - Miranda Vidro

Outstanding Ensemble - Fair Lawn High School - "Runaways"

Outstanding Featured Actor - Fair Lawn High School - "Runaways" - Matthew Mucha

Outstanding Featured Actress - Fair Lawn High School - "Runaways" - Lexi Rosenblum

Adjudicator's Award for Excellence - Fair Lawn High School - "Runaways"

ShopRite Spotlight Award - Mater Dei Preparatory School - Megan Lenehan

Fair Lawn High School - Trevor Brawn

Mater Dei Preparatory School -- Catherine Cahill

Outstanding Solo Performance - Clayton High School - "Hairspray" - Shaylyn Money

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2013

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Freehold High School, Passaic Valley High School, Pennridge High School, Rumson-Fair Haven High School, Solebury School

Outstanding Production - Rumson-Fair Haven High School - "AIDA"

Outstanding Actor - Passaic Valley High School - "The Wedding Singer" - Nick Sagnella

Outstanding Actress - Rumson-Fair Haven High School - "AIDA" - Clare Fitzgerald

Outstanding Ensemble - Pennridge High School - "English Made Simple"

Outstanding Featured Actor - Solebury School - "Drowsy Chaperone" - Mike Hall

Outstanding Featured Actress - Freehold High School - "A Funny Thing Happened in the Way to

the Forum" - Brook Lundquist

Adjudicator's Award for Excellence - Passaic Valley High School - Cast of "The Wedding Singer"

Pennridge High School - Dane McMichael

ShopRite Spotlight Award - Rumson-Fair Haven High School - "AIDA" Orchestra

Solebury School - "The Breakfast Club"

Outstanding Solo Performance - Mount Olive High School - "Footloose" - Jana Byrnes

Pennridge High School - "When Shakespeare's Ladies Meet" - Katie Forsythe

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: Chatham High School, Harry S Truman High School, Pennsbury High School, Wilson High School

Outstanding Production - Harry S Truman High School - "How I Learned to Drive"

Outstanding Actor - Harry S Truman High School - "How I Learned to Drive" - Luke Robinson

Outstanding Actress - Wilson High School - "Legacies" - Maya Spragley

Outstanding Ensemble - Chatham High School - "Check, Please!"

Outstanding Student-Directed Production - Wilson High School - "Legacies"

Outstanding Original Script - Chatham High School - Julien Blanchard, Kaitlyn Helmstetter -

"Mirrors"

Outstanding Featured Actor - Harry S Truman High School - "Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon" -Jibree Robinson

Outstanding Featured Actress - Harry S Truman High School - "How I Learned to Drive" - Marilyn Hall

Adjudicator's Award for Excellence - Pennsbury High School - "Echo" - Danny Gleason

Chatham High School - "Check, Please!" - Sarah Thompson

ShopRite Spotlight Award - Harry S Truman High School - "Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon"

Justin Tyler McGrogan & Ben Vargas

Outstanding Solo Performance - Wilson High School - "Legacies" - Massimo Brutto

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2013

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: International Christian High School, Pennsbury High School, Spring Grove High School, Westfield High School

Outstanding Production - Westfield High School - "'Dentity Crisis"

Outstanding Actor - Westfield High School - "Three Days of Rain" - Geoffrey Ko

Outstanding Actress - Pennsbury High School - "Some Girl(s)" - Julia Sismour

Outstanding Ensemble - International Christian High School - "Just a Day"

Outstanding Student-Directed Production - Spring Grove High School - Evan Brooks -

"To Burn a Witch"

Outstanding Original Script - International Christian High School - "Just a Day"

Outstanding Featured Actor - Westfield High School - "The Actor's Nightmare" - Jack Venezia

Outstanding Featured Actress - Spring Grove High School - "To Burn a Witch" - Zoe Wildasin

Adjudicator's Award for Excellence - Pennsbury High School - "Some Girl(s)" - Victoria Pedretti

Westfield High School - "Three Days of Rain" - Maggie Tanji

ShopRite Spotlight Award -International Christian High School-

"The Actor's Nightmare" - April Thorton

Pennsbury High School - "Dress Rehearsal" - Crew

Outstanding Solo Performance - International Christian High School- "Just a Day" - Sonny Silva

Spring Grove High School - "A Medieval Romance" - Brooke Kessler

MONDAY, MAY 6, 2013

PARTICIPATING HIGH SCHOOLS: Cherry Hill High School East, Pottsville Area High School, State College Area High School

PARTICIPATING MIDDLE SCHOOLS: Christ the King Middle School, Pennington School, Roosevelt Intermediate School

HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS:

Outstanding Production - Cherry Hill High School East - "Letters From a Wallflower"

Outstanding Ensemble - Cherry Hill High School East - "Crushed"

Outstanding Actor - Cherry Hill High School East - "Letters from a Wallflower" - Andrew Zaleski

Outstanding Actress - Cherry Hill High School East - "Crushed" - Patty Irwin

Outstanding Student-Directed Production - Cherry Hill High School East - "Crushed"

Outstanding Original Script - State College Area High School - "The Bachelor on a Budget"

Outstanding Featured Actor - Cherry Hill High School East - "Letters from a Wallflower"

- Anthony Cornazter

Outstanding Featured Actress - Pottsville Area High School - "The Women" - Hannah Hench

Adjudicator's Award for Excellence - Cherry Hill High School East - Damian Stuchko

Pottsville Area High School - Chris Circelli

ShopRite Spotlight Award - State College Area High School - "Bachelor on a Budget" - Nia Davis

Pottsville Area High School - "Of Mice and Men" - Jacob Tarconish

Outstanding Solo Performance - Cherry Hill High School East - "Letters from a Wallflower"

- Alexandra Maresh

MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARDS:

Outstanding Production - Christ the King Middle School - "The Phone Will Explode at the Tone"

Outstanding Ensemble - Roosevelt Intermediate School- "Spoon River Anthology"

Outstanding Actor - Christ the King Middle School - "The Phone Will Explode..." Daniel Shubiak

Outstanding Actress - Roosevelt Intermediate School - "Spoon River Anthology" - Meagan O'Connell

Outstanding Featured Actor - Pennington School - Will Harding

Outstanding Featured Actress - Pennington School - Bella Iorio

Adjudicator's Award for Excellence - Christ the King Middle School - Paul John Gacek

Pennington School - Ellie Paige

ShopRite Spotlight Award - Roosevelt Intermediate School - "Spoon River Anthology" - Samantha

Greenaway

Pennington School - "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" - Ayanna

Johnson

Located 90 minutes from New York City, the Bucks County Playhouse opened in 1939 on the site of a grist mill dating from the late eighteenth century. Ironically, the structure was at that time in danger of demolition; however playwright Moss Hart and the local community rallied to save the building and re-opened it as a theatrical venue, which quickly became one of the country's most famous regional theaters, with a veritable who's who of American theatrical royalty including Kim Hunter, Helen Hayes, Kitty Carlisle, Colleen Dewhurst, Shirley Booth, Lillian Gish, June Lockhart, Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, Bert Lahr, Leslie Nielsen and Walter Matthau and remained in continuous operation until December 2010. Thanks to the Bridge Street Foundation, the non-profit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty with Tanya Cooper as President, this beloved theatrical landmark was re-opened and celebrated on July 2, 2012, exactly 73 years and a day from when it originally opened in 1939.

Newtown Arts Company, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, is dedicated to supporting and promoting the theater arts in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and surrounding areas. Founded in 1983, the company presents a season of family-friendly dramas, comedies and musicals at the historic Newtown Theatre and develops theater arts education programs for area residents. Newtown Arts Company has awarded over $92,000 in scholarships to students pursuing higher education in the fine and performing arts over the past three decades. The company celebrates its 30th anniversary season this year.

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