Archbishop Stepinac High School Senior Receives WBT Scholarship

This year's recipient, of the Bob Fitzsimmons Scholarship is Christian Prato, a senior at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, NY. It will be awarded to him on Stage at Westchester Broadway Theatre on Thursday, May 12, 2016.

Christian's passion for theatre began at Blind Brook Middle school in 7th grade. He entered Stepinac HS in 2012. He has performed in 9 shows during his tenure at Stepinac: A Christmas Carol (the poulterer), Evita (Italian Ambassador), An Enemy of the People (Finn), Mary Poppins (Admiral Boom), It's a Wonderful Life (Mr. Gower), Billy Elliot, the musical (Pit Advisor), Peter and the Star Catcher (Alf), 12 Angry Men (Juror 11) and Sister Act, the musical (Ernie). During his sophomore year, he expressed an interest in directing. He began serving as an assistant director and continued to do so for each production through his senior year. Recently he directed 12 Angry Men which was the inaugural production of Stepinac Theatre Lab, a program that is directed, produced, designed, and performed by an all student ensemble. He will be attending DePaul university in Chicago for the next four years to study theatre arts and directing.

The Scholarship is given annually to a college-bound senior who has excelled in the theatre arts programs while attending Stepinac High School. The prestigious Arts Scholarship is named after Bob Fitzsimmons, a graduate of Stepinac High School, who died suddenly at the age of 37 in March of 1992. He was the Public Relations Director of the Westchester Broadway Theatre, as well as a gifted actor, producer, writer and a director of shows at WBT and at numerous theatres throughout the County.

The scholarship was established in his name by the owners of Westchester Broadway Theatre, Bill Stutler and Bob Funking, the entire employee staff of WBT, and the many friends and relatives of Bob Fitzsimmons.

Under the auspices of WBT, Allan Gruet, (former WBT Public Relations Director, who replaced Bob Fitzsimmons) and George Puello spearheaded two fundraisers. Mr. Puello was responsible for directing & producing the entertainment portion of the events, while Mr. Gruet handled the ticketing for the fundraisers & the continuing administration of the self-sustaining scholarship. Over the years, along with the assistance of producer Bob Funking, Allan has continued to manage the scholarship, making it possible to present the award consistently each year. In recent years, Frank Portanova, Vice Principal of Stepinac High School, has been extremely helpful and cooperative, making some financial donations to the fund to help ensure the life of the scholarship. He also is responsible for selecting the student winner for this highly competitive award. Since its inception, $26,000.00 in scholarships have been awarded. Unfortunately, due to the current financial climate, the Scholarship is no longer self-sustaining and monies need to be raised to ensure the continuation of this award. The annual scholarship in Bob's name is our collective way of keeping alive the memory of our dear friend, Bobby Fitzsimmons.

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