Tickets on sale for Theatre Mask Awards April 26 and BPAs June 29

Lifetime Achievement Awards to Nancy Crouse and Karen Mason

Ryan Cooper, local performer, producer, and past Best Performance Awards recipient, will return to host the 25th BPAs for a record sixth time.

“I’m a big Arts for Life fan. I’m excited. As a lifelong St. Louisan, I grew up working with many of the wonderful companies that make up the vibrant St. Louis community theatre scene,” he said.

In recent years, he has been seen wearing a variety of hats (literally) with Stages St. Louis in roles such as the Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland,” Seussical’s Cat in the Hat, and The Barber in “Man of La Mancha.”

Out of town, he spent several seasons at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, performing in the long-running Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and short-lived Storybook Circus Giggle Gang shows.

A proud member of Actor’s Equity Association, by day Ryan is the Signature Event Producer for the Main Street Historic District in Saint Charles, Mo., where for 20 years he has been involved with their annual Saint Charles Christmas Traditions festival, in addition to creating new programming for Halloween and Valentine’s Day with the Legends & Lanterns and Once Upon a Valentine festivals.

Tickets are now available for the Arts For Life annual awards ceremonies for community theater recognition – the Theatre Mask Awards on April 26 and the Best Performance Awards June 29.

Nancy Crouse

Lifetime Achievement Awards

Nancy Crouse,a legend in local community theater,and Karen Mason, a musical theatre actress and cabaret singer who grew up in St. Louis, will both be honored with Lifetime Achievements Awards at the BPAs on June 29.

After an impressive career in both theater education and theater administration, Crouse moved to St. Louis in 1999 and has kept busier than ever working for several theater companies as a performer, director, set designer and costume designer. Hawthorne Players is her home base, and she won Best Director for her “The Color Purple” production last year, which also won best large ensemble musical.

Growing up in Indiana, she received a master’s degree in theatre from Ball State University. She taught English and Theatre for 33 years, and spent many years as the Managing Artistic Director for Muncie Civic Theatre

Karen Mason

Mason originated the role of Tanya in the Broadway production of “Mamma Mia!” in 2001, performed as Madame Giry in the North American tour of “Love Never Dies” and was Glenn Close’s standby as Norma Desmond in the Los Angeles production of “Sunset Boulevard.”

She was in “White Christmas” at the Muny Opera and has appeared on stages across the country.

She won an Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance in the off-Broadway Kander and Ebb review “And the World Goes Round.”

A renowned cabaret singer, she is the most lauded vocalist in MAC Awards history, with 13, which honors the best of Manhattan cabaret. She has performed locally with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and at the Sheldon Concert Hall.


Awards Ceremonies


The Theatre Mask Awards have honored drama and comedy plays since 2015.

This year’s 10th annual TMAs will take place starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Royale Orleans banquet center, 2801 Telegraph Road, St. Louis, Mo. 63125. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

Awards will be presented in 17 categories as lunch is served. Cocktail attire is suggested. Tickets to the event are $30 + $2 service fee. Table seating is available at 10 per table. A full meal will be served, and a cash/card bar will be available.

Clayton Community Theatre topped all TMA nominations with 22, with a production-leading 11 for “The Play That Goes Wrong,” 8 for “Twelfth Night,” and 4 for “Night of the Iguana.”

Act Two Theatre followed with 17 overall, 10 for “Over the River and Through the Woods” and 7 for “The Play That Goes Wrong,” and so did Hawthorne Players with 17, 10 for “All My Sons” and 7 for “for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.”

Other groups receiving TMA nominations included Kirkwood Theatre Guild, Monroe Actors Stage Company and Theatre Guild of Webster Groves.

Mark Lull

Mark Lull returns as the master of ceremonies after hosting in 2022 and 2024. An 11-time AFL nominee, he won Best Performance by a Comedic Actor as Uncle Fester in Alfresco Productions’ “The Addams Family” in 2015.

A retired school principal, he has performed at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, The Muny, and with other theater companies in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He is currently teaching early childhood education at St. Louis Community College and serves as vice president on the AFL board of directors.

Tickets are available online with a service fee of $2 added: https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/.

A combination ticket for both TMAs and Best Performance Awards, at a discounted price of $50 with a $2 service fee, is available, but must be purchased by April 11.

The BPAs have honored musical theater in community and youth productions for 25 years. The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m. at the Keating Theater at Kirkwood High School. Formal attire is requested, and the event will be reserved-style seating. Soft drinks and snacks will be available in the lobby. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.

The event will include performances from the top musicals nominated in the three Best Musical Production categories. Tickets to the show are $30+ a $2service fee per ticket. Seating is reserved seating.

Special Youth Awards will be presented to Bella Crank, for Best Youth Musical Performance Award, as Nancy in “Oliver!” at Gateway Center for the Performing Arts, and Alyssa Sayuk for Best Youth Featured Dancer Award, as Odette in “Anastasia” at the Stages Performing Arts Academy.

Take Two Productions led with 16 nominations, 8 for “Merrily We Roll Along,” 6 for “Head Over Heels” and 2 for “The Prom.” Kirkwood Theatre Guild’s “Anything Goes” received the most production nominations, with 15, while Hawthorne Players earned 14 for “Bright Star” and Goshen Theatre Project had 11 for “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with 9 and “The Trail to Oregon” with 2.

Other groups receiving BPA nominations included Act Two Productions, Alpha Players, Curtain’s Up Theater Company, and Monroe Actors Stage Company.

In the Youth Performance Awards categories, Gateway Center for the Performing Arts received a total of 31 nominations, 16 for “Alice By Heart,’ 7 for “Ragtime” and 8 for “Oliver!” Young People’s Theatre followed with 17 – 9 for “Seussical” and 8 for “Anastasia: The Musical.” Stages Performing Arts Academy received 8 nominations for “Anastasia: The Musical.”

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

Ryan Cooper returns for sixth time as host.

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

For more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org or visit the website, www.artsforlife.org

Tables still available to celebrate silver anniversary of Best Performance Awards; Tim Naegelin to host

Theatre artist Tim Naegelin will be the emcee for Arts For Life’s annual Trivia Night on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tables are still available.

The “25 Years of Shining Stars” event will take place at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road, St. Louis, with doors open at 6:30 p.m. and 10 rounds of general-knowledge questions to begin at 7 p.m.

This year’s theme celebrates the 25th anniversary of AFL’s Best Performance Awards, which first took place in 2000, honoring excellence in community theater in 1999. At that time, 21 organizations participated. Since then, recognition for youth productions was added, and the Theatre Mask Awards, honoring comedy and drama plays, were introduced in 2015.

Nominations will be announced for the annual TMAs and BPAs honoring performances and achievements during 2024.

Cash prizes will be awarded to first and second place teams. There will be a 50/50 raffle, silent auction, mulligans available, and a costume contest (optional). Participants are encouraged to dress up as a character from stage or screen.

“Don’t miss the most fun time in metropolitan St. Louis’ community theater!” said AFL President Mary McCreight.

“The AFL Trivia Night is a great way to get together and celebrate a fantastic year of community and youth theatre in the St. Louis area. It shows just how connected we are and how much we want to support each other, all while having a good time,” Naegelin said.

“I’m excited and honored that AFL asked me to host. It’s such a fun evening and makes me proud to be part of this community,” he noted.

Tim Naegelin

Naegelin is a current Arts For Life board member and a past co-chair of the Theatre Mask Awards steering committee. He was last seen on stage in “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” at Kirkwood Theatre Guild, for which he was nominated for a Theatre Mask Award. 

Other acting credits include “Sylvia” with Stray Dog Theatre, “Blithe Spirit” with ACT INC, and “A Walk In The Woods” with West End Players Guild. He has also performed with Clayton Community Theatre (“Ordinary People” and “The Laramie Project” – Theatre Mask Award nominee), O’Fallon TheatreWorks (“The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Peter and the Starcatcher”), and with Act Two Theatre (“Moonlight and Magnolias” and “The Boys Next Door”). 

Aside from being onstage, Tim has also directed “Hillary and Clinton” with West End Players Guild, “Twilight of the Golds” with Solid Lines Productions, and was assistant director for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” with O’Fallon TheatreWorks.

He has been a judge for the American Association of Community Theatre’s NewPlayFest for two years and wrote a one act play that was produced as part of Spectrum with First Run Theatre.

Tables of 8 players are available, at $160 per table. Soft drinks are provided. To make a reservation, visit https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/ or www.artsforlife.org. You can also email: afltrg@artsforlife.org for more information. Mulligans will be available, at 5 for $10 or 10 for $20.

This year’s TMA ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 26, at the Royale Orleans in South County and the Best Performance Awards will be held on Sunday, June 29, in the Keating Theatre at Kirkwood High School. More information will be forthcoming.

“These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” McCreight said.

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL promotes public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

“St. Louis is an amazing city, especially for the Arts. There are over 60 theater companies at home here, a third of which are community theaters. As we watch music education and theatre programs rapidly die in our schools, the need to keep community theatre alive is more important now, than ever,” McCreight said.

“To the hundreds of local musicians and amateur thespians, the Best Performance Awards and Theatre Mask Awards are a way for the community to say thank you for its volunteers in the performing arts,” she said.

Theatre groups within a 35-mile radius of Clayton, Mo., who hold open auditions for non-paid actors are invited to participate in AFL.

For more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org. or visit the website.

Tickets on Sale for Best Performance Awards June 30; Last Day June 9 for Guaranteed Group Seating

Brea D. Johnson and Maddie Hewgley are this year’s recipients of $1,000 scholarships each from Arts For Life, to be presented at the 24th Annual Best Performance Awards on June 30.

Johnson, a recent graduate of Fort Zumwalt South High School, lives in St. Peters, Mo., and plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University, where she will major in musical theater.

Hewgley attends Elon University as a musical theater major and is a 2022 graduate of Parkway Central High School.

Both Johnson and Hewgley have extensive performing arts credits in local youth productions and with other theater companies.

Maddie Hewgley

Students who plan to pursue a career in the arts are eligible for an annual Arts For Life scholarship.

Every year since 2012, the AFL board of directors has selected two college-age recipients through an application process. Requirements include pursuing a career in the arts, essays, and letter(s) of recommendation.

Those entering college after high school graduation or continuing their college education in an arts undergraduate program must submit a completed application and cannot have been the primary recipient of a previous AFL scholarship.

AFL is a non-for-profit arts and service organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating community and youth theatre in the St. Louis metropolitan and metro-east Illinois region.

Local performer Donna Weinsting, who has been a popular figure on stage, in films and comedy clubs throughout St. Louis for 60 years, is this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from Arts For Life.

The BPAs recognize excellence in community theater organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan region, including Southwest Illinois.

Tickets are currently on sale for the event set for Sunday, June 30 at the Keating Performing Arts Center at Kirkwood High School, 801 W Essex Ave, Kirkwood, MO 63122

Brea Johnson

If attendees want guaranteed seating with a particular theater group, they must order tickets online by the end of day, June 9. Please let us know which theatre group or individual you would like to sit with in the “notes to seller” section at checkout. After that, tickets will be reserved in general seating.

BPA tickets are $30 and are available online with a service fee of $2 added: https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/.

Zion Thomas will be the event’s master of ceremonies. A local performer, he is pursuing a career in film/TV and is a recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University.

Paul Pagano will serve as director. A native of St. Louis, he is the executive director and a co-founder of Gateway Center for the Performing Arts.

The ceremony will include performances from the top musicals nominated in the three Best Musical Production categories.

Act Two Theatre’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” and Monroe Actors Stage Company’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” lead all musical productions with 17 nominations apiece.

Gateway Center for the Performing Arts has the most nominations with 31- for “Bare: A Pop Opera” (7) and youth productions “9 to 5: The Musical” (14) and “School of Rock” (10).

All BPA ticket orders will be held at the box office. Please contact us at afltrg@artsforlife.org if you have any special seating needs. Handicapped seating is available.

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

“These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” said Mary McCreight, AFL president.

Participating groups included Act Two Theatre, Alpha Players of Florissant, Christ Memorial Productions, Crusader Players, Curtain’s Up Theatre, Dayspring Arts and Education, Gateway Center for the Performing Arts, Goshen Theatre Project, Hawthorne Players, KTK Productions, Looking Glass Playhouse, Monroe Actors’ Stage Company, O’Fallon Theatre Works, Spotlight Productions and Take Two Productions.

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

For BPA event sponsorship or more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org or visit the website, www.artsforlife.org

Last year’s winners.

Best Performance Awards to Honor Community Theatre, Youth Productions June 30

Local performer Donna Weinsting, who has been a popular figure on stage, in films and comedy clubs throughout St. Louis for 60 years, is this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from Arts For Life.

“I am beyond honored to receive this very special recognition, humbled and excited. I feel that this is a gift — to be acknowledged for something I have had a passion for nearly my entire life,” she said.

Donna Weinsting

Born Donna Collins, she grew up in St. Louis, and while her family moved several times, she landed in Oakville at age 13, and that is where she has lived ever since. She was first in a summer city park production of “Sleeping Beauty,” then a play in junior high.

“The die was cast and a 60-year career in acting and stand-up comedy was launched,” she said.

A graduate of Mehlville High School, she has never shied away from a challenge, playing leads as well as supporting and brief roles. She has performed in one-woman shows, played characters like Mr. Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Jabba the Hutt in “Star Wars,” and various animals in WiseWrite plays written by 10-year-olds.

The community theater organizations she has worked with include Clayton Community Theatre, Theatre Guild of Webster Groves, and the no longer active Affton Players.

She has been on the stages of the regional professional companies The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Max and Louie Productions, New Jewish Theatre, St. Louis Actors’ Studio, Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble, Stray Dog Theatre, St. Louis Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, Upstream Theater, West End Players Guild, and the shuttered Orange Girls, Insight Theatre, OnSite, and others.

She has appeared at the Bluff City Theater in Hannibal, Mo., Ozark Actors’ Theatre in Rolla, Mo., Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre in Arrow Rock, Mo., Stages Houston and 59E59 Theatre Off-Broadway in New York as part of the LaBute New Theatre Festival.

Her honors include a Kevin Kline Award for Lead Actress, as Bessie in “From Door to Door” at New Jewish Theatre, St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Actress as Iola in “Salt, Root and Roe” at Upstream Theater, and a St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Comedy Ensemble for “Jacob and Jack” at New Jewish Theatre, where she played both Ester and Hannah.

 She is proud of those honors but her most treasured things are her two children, five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and her 63-year marriage to her high school sweetheart, Mike.

Next up is a one-act play, “The Magic Tower,” which is part of the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis production of “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” this August.

She will be shooting a movie in Springfield this fall called “Big Mike’s Cabin,” and has appeared in “Ethan and Edna” and “Doubting Thomas.”

Zion Thomas emcee

Tickets Available for Awards Ceremony

Tickets are now available for the Arts For Life’s 24th Annual Best Performance Awards for community theater recognition on Sunday, June 30 at the Keating Performing Arts Center at Kirkwood High School, 801 W Essex Ave, Kirkwood, MO 63122

Zion Thomas will be the event’s master of ceremonies. A recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University, he is pursuing a career in film/TV.

Thomas served as the assistant director for GCPA’s “Ragtime,” and has performed the show twice — in the Union Avenue Opera production as part of the Harlem Ensemble last summer and was nominated for a St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Award for his performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr. at MICDS.

A GCPA alumnus, Thomas was BPA-nominated as Flick in “Violet” and played one of the adults in “Spring Awakening.”

Paul Pagano will serve as director. A native of St. Louis, he is the executive director and a co-founder of Gateway Center for the Performing Arts. He earned a bachelor’s degree in drama from Washington University and a master’s in theatre education from Fontbonne University.

A proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association since 2001, he has worked with The Muny, Stages St. Louis, HotCity Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and others. Besides teaching at GCPA, he has been an instructor at COCA, St. Louis University High School, and Stages Performing Arts Academy.

The ceremony will include performances from the top musicals nominated in the three Best Musical Production categories.

Paul Pagano will direct the awards ceremony

Act Two Theatre’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” and Monroe Actors Stage Company’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” lead all musical productions with 17 nominations apiece.

Gateway Center for the Performing Arts has the most nominations with 31- for “Bare: A Pop Opera” (7) and youth productions “9 to 5: The Musical” (14) and “School of Rock” (10).

Seating is reserved. Please let us know which theatre group or individual you would like to sit with in the “notes to seller” section at checkout.

BPA tickets are $30 and are available online with a service fee of $2 added: https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/.

Reservations can be arranged via the mail. Make check payable to ARTS FOR LIFE and mail to PO Box 16426, St. Louis, MO 63125.

All BPA ticket orders will be held at the box office unless a self-addressed stamped envelope is included with the ticket order. If ordering for a group, please attach a list of individual names for box office pick-up.

Please contact us at afltrg@artsforlife.org if you have any special seating needs. Handicapped seating is available.

Award Nominations

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

“These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” said Mary McCreight, AFL president.

Participating groups included Act Two Theatre, Alpha Players of Florissant, Christ Memorial Productions, Crusader Players, Curtain’s Up Theatre, Dayspring Arts and Education, Gateway Center for the Performing Arts, Goshen Theatre Project, Hawthorne Players, KTK Productions, Looking Glass Playhouse, Monroe Actors’ Stage Company, O’Fallon Theatre Works, Spotlight Productions and Take Two Productions.

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

For advertising rates, BPA event sponsorship or more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org or visit the website, www.artsforlife.org

Nada Vaughn, whose dedication to music and theatre in St Louis began as a schoolgirl and flourished in later years as an integral part of Clayton Community Theatre, is this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient at the 9th Annual Theater Mask Awards on April 20.

She was part of school plays as a youth, majored in voice and minored in theater and education in college, and retired from teaching music at Bishop DuBourg High School in 2010.

Nada Vaughn

After that, she devoted more time to music, theater, and art. At Clayton Community Theatre, she has been board president, producer, director, music director, assistant director, stage manager, house manager, concession manager, sound designer, and on crews for sets and lights.

She received a TMA award for directing “A Soldier’s Play” in 2021, and has directed “Black Coffee,” “Unexpected Guest,” “The Piano Lesson,” “Night Must Fall,” “Two Trains Running,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Murder on the Nile.”

Tickets are now available for the Arts For Life annual awards ceremonies for community theater recognition.

Through the nonprofit organization AFL, the TMAs have honored drama and comedy plays since 2015.

This year’s 9th annual Theatre Mask Awards will take place starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, at the Royale Orleans banquet center, 2801 Telegraph Road, St. Louis, Mo. 63125. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

Awards will be presented in 17 categories as lunch is served. Cocktail attire is suggested. Tickets to the event are $30 + $2 service fee. Table seating is available at 10 per table. A full meal will be served, and a cash/card bar will be available.

O’Fallon Theatre Works topped all TMA nominations with 23, with a production-leading 12 for “Radium Girls” and 11 for “Emma: Portrait of a Lady.”

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild followed with 16 overall, six for both “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” and “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” with Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” garnering four.

Monroe Actors Stage Company in Waterloo had a total of 14, including 10 for “Unnecessary Farce,” three for “Father of the Bride” and one for “Fuddy Meers.”

Act Two Theatre in St. Peters earned 12 TMA nominations, including 11 for “Peter and the Starcatcher” and one for “Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses.”

Other groups receiving TMA nominations included Clayton Community Theatre, Looking Glass Playhouse and Theatre Guild of Webster Groves.

“This has been one of our best years yet for community theatre plays, and it shows in just how many of the productions received nominations,” said TMA Chairman Melissa Boyer. “I am so proud of all of our groups that put all their heart into these productions, and of all of our judges that take the time to go to so many shows.”

Mark Lull

Mark Lull returns as the master of ceremonies after hosting in 2022. A 10-time AFL nominee, he won Best Performance by a Comedic Actor as Uncle Fester in Alfresco Productions’ “The Addams Family” in 2015.

A retired school principal, he has performed at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, The Muny, and with other theater companies in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He is currently teaching early childhood education at St. Louis Community College and serves as vice president on the AFL board of directors.

Tickets are available online with a service fee of $2 added: https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/.

A combination ticket for both TMAs and Best Performance Awards, at a discounted price of $50 with a $2 service fee, is available, but must be purchased by April 12.

The BPAs have honored musical theater in community and youth productions for 24 years. The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 30, at 2 p.m. at the Keating Theater at Kirkwood High School. Formal attire is requested, and the event will be reserved-style seating. Soft drinks and snacks will be available in the lobby. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.

The event will include performances from the top musicals nominated in the three Best Musical Production categories. Tickets to the show are $30.00 + a $2.00 service fee per ticket. Seating is reserved seating.

Cast members of “Calendar Girls,” and director Deanna Jent, which Kirkwood Theatre Guild presented in 2022, winner of best comedy at the TMAs April 2023, with trophy presenter Natalie Klick. Photo by Chuck Hill.
Cast members of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” at Hawthorne Players, and director Ken Clark, which won Best Drama Production at the 2023 TMAs. Chuck Hill Photo.

AFL Community Theatre Awards

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

“Arts For Life provides a community recognition program. These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” said Mary McCreight, AFL president.

Nomination and selection of the community theatre awards are done by a special committee, i.e., the Theatre Recognition Guild, made up of theatre critics, drama teachers, professional performers or artists, members of community theatre groups, and people who just have an avid interest in theatre.

This committee reviews each of the theatrical productions as an audience member and scores each participant in each category.  

Theatre groups within a 35-mile radius of Clayton, Mo., who hold open auditions for non-paid actors are invited to participate.

For more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org or visit the website, www.artsforlife.org

Gateway Center of the Performing Arts and Monroe Actors Stage Company lead with 31 nominations each

Tickets are now available for the Arts For Life annual awards ceremonies for community theater recognition. The Theater Mask Awards will be on April 20 and the Best Performance Awards will be on June 30.

Nominations were recently announced, with Act Two Theatre’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” and Monroe Actors Stage Company’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” leading all musical productions with 17 nominations apiece and O’Fallon Theatre Works’ “Radium Girls” topping plays with 12.  See the link below.

Through the nonprofit organization AFL, the TMAs have honored drama and comedy plays since 2015 while the BPAs have honored musical theater in community and youth productions since AFL began the awards recognition program in 1999.

This year’s 10th annual Theatre Mask Awards will take place starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, at the Royale Orleans banquet center, 2801 Telegraph Road, St. Louis, Mo. 63125. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

Awards will be presented in 17 categories as lunch is served. Cocktail attire is suggested. Tickets to the event are $30 + $2 service fee. Table seating is available at 8 per table.

Please let us know what theatre group or person(s) you would like to sit with in the checkout process by clicking “Add an order note” while viewing your cart.

A full meal is included with the ticket purchase (menu coming soon). Please let us know if you have any special dietary concerns or needs.  A cash bar is available.

Mark Lull

Mark Lull returns as the master of ceremonies after hosting in 2022. A 10-time AFL nominee, he won Best Performance by a Comedic Actor as Uncle Fester in Alfresco Productions’ “The Addams Family” in 2015.

A retired school principal, he has performed at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, The Muny, and with other theater companies in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He is currently teaching early childhood education at St. Louis Community College and serves as vice president on the AFL board of directors.

For the Best Performance Awards on Sunday, June 30, at 2 p.m. at the Keating Theater at Kirkwood High School, formal attire is requested, and the event will be reserved-style seating. A cash bar will be available. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.

The event will include performances from the top musicals nominated in the three Best Musical Production categories. Tickets to the show are $30.00 + a $2.00 service fee per ticket. Seating is reserved seating. Please let us know which theatre group or individual you would like to sit with in the “notes to seller” section at checkout.

Both TMA and BPA tickets are available online with a service fee of $2 added: https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/.

A combination ticket for both, at a discounted price of $50 with a $2 service fee, is available, but must be purchased by April 12.

Reservations can be arranged through the mail and tickets can be picked up at the venues on event day. Please make check payable to ARTS FOR LIFE and mail to PO Box 16426, St. Louis, MO 63125.

All BPA ticket orders will be held at the box office unless a self-addressed stamped envelope is included with the ticket order. If ordering for a group, please attach a list of individual names for box office pick-up.

Please contact us at afltrg@artsforlife.org if you have any special seating needs or COVID-19 related concerns. Handicapped seating is available.

“Radium Girls’ at O’Fallon Theatre Works is nominated for 12 TMAs. KWR Photography.

Award Nominations

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

“Arts For Life provides a community recognition program. These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” said Mary McCreight, AFL president.

Gateway Center for the Performing Arts earned 31 BPA nominations – for “Bare: A Pop Opera” (7) and youth productions “9 to 5: The Musical” (14) and “School of Rock” (10), with Monroe Actors Stage Company in Waterloo receiving 17 BPA and 14 TMA nominations (including “Father of the Bride” – 3, “Fuddy Meers” – 1, “Unnecessary Farce” – 10, and “How to Succeed” – 17) for a total of 31.

Act Two Theatre in St. Peters followed with 17 BPA and 12 TMA nominations for a total of 29 (including “Peter and the Starcatcher” – 11, “Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses” – 1, and “The Drowsy Chaperone” – 17).

O’Fallon Theatre Works had 29 total, for 23 TMA and 6 BPA nominations (“Emma: Portrait of a Lady” – 11, “Radium Girls” – 12, and “Be More Chill” – 6).

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild had 20 overall, with TMA nominations for “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” – 6, “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” – 6, and “The Mousetrap” – 4, with 4 BPA nominations for “The Sound of Music.”

‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ at Act Two earned 17 nominations. Lori Biehl Photography.

Other participating groups included Alpha Players of Florissant, Christ Memorial Productions, Clayton Community Theatre, Crusader Players, Curtain’s Up Theatre, Dayspring Arts and Education, Goshen Theatre Project, Hawthorne Players, KTK Productions, Looking Glass Playhouse, Over Due Theatre, Theatre Guild of Webster Groves, Spotlight Productions and Take Two Productions.

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

TMA Event Sponsorships are available at either $100 or $50 if you also purchase an ad. Sponsorship includes group/company name and logo displayed at the event, website and on our social media platforms.

For advertising rates, BPA event sponsorship or more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org or visit the website, www.artsforlife.orgd

Award-winning local performers Kimmie Kidd-Booker and Chris Moore will be the emcees for Arts For Life’s annual Trivia Night on Saturday, Jan. 27. Tables are still available.

The event will take place at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road, St. Louis, with doors open at 6:30 p.m. and 10 rounds of general-knowledge questions to begin at 7 p.m.

Cash prizes will be awarded to first and second place teams. There will be a 50/50 raffle, silent auction, mulligans available, and a costume contest.

This year’s theme is Ticket to Paris, as the city will host the Summer Olympics, mark the 135th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower and the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Feel free to dress up as any French character in entertainment or real life. Vive la France!

Nominations will be announced for the annual Theatre Mask Awards (plays) and Best Performance Awards (musicals) honoring excellence in community theater and youth productions during 2023.

“Don’t miss the most fun time in metropolitan St. Louis’ community theater!” said AFL President Mary McCreight.

Tables of 8 players are available, at $160 per table. Soft drinks are provided. To make a reservation, visit https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/ or www.artsforlife.org. You can also email: afltrg@artsforlife.org for more information. Mulligans will be available, at 5 for $10 or 10 for $20.

For the past 24 years, AFL has honored musical theater with the Best Performance Awards and introduced the Theatre Mask Awards to honor comedy and drama productions in 2015.

This year’s TMA ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 20, at the Royale Orleans in South County and the Best Performance Awards will be held on Sunday, June 30, in the Keating Theatre at Kirkwood High School. More information will be forthcoming.

“These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” McCreight said.

Chris Moore

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

For more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org. or visit the website.

Tickets Still Available; Chris Moore to emcee

Performances from nominated musicals “A Chorus Line” by Hawthorne Players, “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Something Rotten!” by Gateway Center for the Performing Arts, “Bright Star” and “The Pajama Game” by Monroe Actors Stage Company, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” by Christ Memorial Productions, “The Addams Family” by Spotlight Productions and “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” by Goshen Theater Project will be showcased at Arts For Life’s 23rd Best Performance Awards.

Tickets are still available for the presentation on Sunday, July 2, at 2 p.m. at the Florissant Performing Arts Center, 1 James J. Eagan Drive, Florissant, Mo. 63033.

Awards will be presented in 30 categories. The BPAs have honored musical theater in community and youth productions beginning a year after the nonprofit organization AFL was founded in 1999.

“Arts For Life provides a community recognition program to spotlight the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” said Mary McCreight, AFL president.

Local singer-actor-dancer-director Chris Moore will be the master of ceremonies.

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

Event Tickets
Lobby and house doors open at 1 p.m. All tickets are reserved seating.

Formal attire/black tie is requested.

A cash bar with beer and wine will be available, as will soft drinks, water, and snacks.

BPA tickets are available online at $30 with a service fee of $2 added, which can be purchased at: https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/.

Tickets will be available for pickup/purchase in the theatre lobby from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, and starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 2. AFL accepts cash or credit/debit cards.

Contact us at afltrg@artsforlife.org if you have any special seating needs or questions.

A “Red Carpet” banner will be available as a backdrop for photos, which you can share on social media using the hash tag #AFLBPA2023.  

Be aware of construction and traffic in the area, so plan accordingly.

Nancy Bortosky to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Nancy Bortosky, executive director of DaySpring Arts and Education, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. She founded DaySpring in 1993 as a daytime arts program for homeschoolers and an after-school arts program for the community; she retired this year.

Under her direction the past 29 years, DaySpring has grown into a community organization offering dance, musical theatre, drama, fine arts, and music classes and performances, as well as offering an accredited Pre-K through 12th grade hybrid model Academy.

This year DaySpring will have produced five musicals, a mixed-bill ballet, a drama, numerous instrumental and vocal music recitals, and end-of-the-year drama, musical theatre, and dance recitals. Nancy has been instrumental in growing these programs.

About Chris Moore
Last year’s winner for the Best Actor in a Comedic Role Award for playing the Donkey in “Shrek,” which was produced by the Kirkwood Theatre Guild.

He directed “Godspell” for Take Two Productions this spring and recently played Hysterium in New Line Theatre’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Other recent theatrical credits include Cutler in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at Clayton Community Theatre; in the ensemble of New Line Theatre’s “Urinetown” and “Head Over Heels,” and as a minstrel and Peter Quince in “Something Rotten!”; “Dreamgirls,” “Guys and Dolls,” and in the Polar Express event at Union Station.

Award Nominations

Four youth musicals presented by Gateway Center for the Performing Arts — “13” (8), “Bonnie and Clyde” (10), “A Christmas Story” (2), and “Something Rotten!” (13) — combined for 35 nominations, the most of any community theater or youth group.

Monroe Actors Stage Company in Waterloo, Ill., led all St. Louis area – metro-east Illinois community theater groups, with 25 — 14 for the classic musical “The Pajama Game” and 11 for the Steve Martin-Edie Brickel musical “Bright Star.”

Christ Memorial Productions received 13 nominations for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Goshen Theatre Project in Collinsville, Ill., earned 12 – 11 nominations for “Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief” and 1 for “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Spotlight Productions had 12 nominations for “The Addams Family.”

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild had nine BPA nominations for “Little Shop of Horrors,” as did Hawthorne Players in Florissant for “A Chorus Line.”

Act Two in St. Peters had eight BPA nominations for “The Full Monty.”

Other groups receiving nominations included Looking Glass Players, 6; Over Due Theatre, 6; Curtain’s Up Theater, 2; DaySpring Arts and Education, 2; and Young People’s Theatre, 1.

Arts For Life is dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

Florissant Performing Arts Center.

Chris Moore to emcee, Nancy Bortosky to receive the Life Achievement Award

Tickets are now available for the Arts For Life’s 23rd Best Performance Awards on July 2 at 2 p.m. at the Florissant Performing Arts Center, 1 James J. Eagan Drive, Florissant, Mo. 63033.

Local singer-actor-dancer-director Chris Moore will be the master of ceremonies. At last year’s return to a live ceremony, he won the Best Actor in a Comedic Role Award for his performance as the Donkey in “Shrek,” which was produced by the Kirkwood Theatre Guild.

Chris Moore

He directed “Godspell” for Take Two Productions this spring. Other recent theatrical credits include Cutler in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at Clayton Community Theatre; in the ensemble of New Line Theatre’s “Urinetown” and “Head Over Heels,” and as a minstrel and Peter Quince in “Something Rotten!”; “Dreamgirls,” “Guys and Dolls,” and in the Polar Express event at Union Station. He will be part of New Line’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” production this June.

A graduate of Hazelwood Central High School, in addition to acting, Chris has a growing social media platform where he enjoys creating content about self-worth and being your most authentic self.

Awards will be presented in 30 categories. The BPAs have honored musical theater in community and youth productions beginning a year after the nonprofit organization AFL was founded in 1999.

“Arts For Life provides a community recognition program to spotlight the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” said Mary McCreight, AFL president.

Nancy Bortosky, executive director of DaySpring Arts and Education, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. She founded DaySpring in 1993 as a daytime arts program for homeschoolers and an after-school arts program for the community.

Under her direction the past 29 years, DaySpring has grown into a community organization offering dance, musical theatre, drama, fine arts, and music classes and performances, as well as offering an accredited Pre-K through 12th grade hybrid model Academy.

This year DaySpring will have produced five musicals, a mixed-bill ballet, a drama, numerous instrumental and vocal music recitals, and end-of-the-year drama, musical theatre, and dance recitals. Nancy has been instrumental in growing these programs. She plans to retire this year.

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

Formal attire is requested. A cash bar will be available. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m.

BPA tickets are available online at $30 with a service fee of $2 added, which can be purchased at: https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/.

You can download a mail order form online and save the service fee. Reservations can be arranged via mail. If ordering for a group, please attach a list of individual names for box office pick-up. Please make check payable to ARTS FOR LIFE and mail to PO Box 16426, St. Louis, MO 63125.

All BPA ticket orders will be held at the box office on event day.

Please contact us at afltrg@artsforlife.org if you have any special seating needs or COVID-19 related concerns. Handicapped seating is available.

Award Nominations

Four youth musicals presented by Gateway Center for the Performing Arts — “13” (8), “Bonnie and Clyde” (10), “A Christmas Story” (2), and “Something Rotten!” (13) — combined for 35 nominations, the most of any community theater or youth group. Gateway Center for the Performing Arts is based in Webster Groves.

Monroe Actors Stage Company in Waterloo, Ill., led all St. Louis area – metro-east Illinois community theater groups, with 25 — 14 for the classic musical “The Pajama Game” and 11 for the Steve Martin-Edie Brickel musical “Bright Star.”

Christ Memorial Productions received 13 nominations for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Goshen Theatre Project in Collinsville, Ill., earned 12 – 11 nominations for “Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief” and 1 for “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Spotlight Productions had 12 nominations for “The Addams Family.”

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild had nine BPA nominations for “Little Shop of Horrors,” as did Hawthorne Players in Florissant for “A Chorus Line.”

Act Two in St. Peters had eight BPA nominations for “The Full Monty.”

Other groups receiving nominations included Looking Glass Players, 6; Over Due Theatre, 6; Curtain’s Up Theater, 2; DaySpring Arts and Education, 2; and Young People’s Theatre, 1.

Florissant Performing Arts Center

Arts For Life is dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild’s “Shrek the Musical” won 10 Best Performance Awards from Arts For Life on June 12, earning honors as Best Large Ensemble musical, director, music director, choreography, actor, actress, featured actor, supporting actor, comedic actor, and lighting design. They had received 12 nominations.

The Gateway Center for Performing Arts, which is a professional training center based in Webster Groves, won 10 awards in the youth production categories – five for “Annie” and five for “Cabaret. They had earned 25 nominations, the most of any group.

Others receiving recognition included the Goshen Theatre Project, based in Collinsville, Ill., which won four for “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” and Take Two Productions won three for “Fun Home,” including Best Small Ensemble Musical. Spotlight Productions and Hawthorne Players won one each.

The annual awards returned to a live ceremony after a virtual one in 2020 and a cancellation in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. About 365 people attended the scaled-down presentation at the Frontenac Hilton’s Clayton Ballroom.

Arts For Life, founded in 1999, has been recognizing excellence in community theater with an awards program for 20 years

The annual youth scholarship award winners were announced. Jacob Moore of Dardenne Prairie and Theo Kronemer of Richmond Heights will receive $500 each to pursue a career in the arts. Moore, a graduate of St. Dominic High School in O’Fallon, Mo., plans to attend Missouri State University and major in musical theater. Kronemer, a graduate of Clayton High School, plans to attend Carnegie-Mellon University and major in theater production and design.

BPA winners were announced in 30 categories from nominations from the shortened 2020 and 2021 theater seasons.

Charlie Wehde was honored with the Best Youth Musical Performance Award for his portrayal of Jack in “Into the Woods” at DaySpring Academy.

In their acceptance speeches, winners emphasized that productions are put on by teams, and often recognized their theater “family” and “community.” Most made it a point to say how grateful they were to return to working on shows after being dark for so many months during the public health crisis that has dominated the past three years.

Cherol Thibault, president of Kirkwood Theatre Guild, and Adam Grun, the director

Adam Grun, who directed “Shrek the Musical” at Kirkwood Theatre Guild, spoke of the long journey with multiple delays and setbacks. Originally set to be performed in May 2020, it was cast and forced to shut down. He was brought in three weeks before rehearsals began for the reboot. The show went on in September 2021, opening KTG’s 89th season.

“We had three weeks to get everything going. It was the fastest I had ever analyzed a script. Not everyone from the original cast came back. We had all but one lead come back. So that was a big help. Most of the people had multiple roles, so they had to change like eight times during the show. It was a great cast. And I was lucky that Tom Murray (original director) had cast such a great group of people,” he said.

Stephen Peirick, who accepted the Best Small Ensemble Musical Award, said: “’Fun Home’ winning the BPA for Small Ensemble Production was truly the icing on the cake to a fantastic experience, that could not have happened without the dedication, talents, time, and energy of the Take Two Productions Board, our talented cast, our amazing music director and band, as well as our outstanding behind the scenes crew. Time spent with this group was reward enough, yet we’re appreciative of the opportunity to have our show recognized and, in return, be able to recognize all those who made this experience possible.’

Paul Pagano, executive director of Gateway Center for Performing Arts, said: “We are so grateful to everyone who was a part of the BPAs yesterday and for the opportunity to showcase and celebrate so much talent in the St. Louis community. There were so many incredible theatre companies and artists represented, and we are proud to be counted as storytellers among them!”

Mary McCreight, president of the AFL Board of Directors, commented about participating groups’ dedication.

“The Arts For Life Best Performance Awards shined on June 12 with love of musical theater among the community. Young and old performed and celebrated with each other after a three-year break,” she said. “It was magical and assured a future for Arts For Life.”

Musical numbers from eight nominated musicals “Annie,” “Cabaret,” “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” “Fun Home,” “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” “Nunsense,” “Shrek,” and “Young Frankenstein” were performed.

Veteran performers and BPA winners Gerry and Kay Love were the co-hosts, and Kimmie Kidd-Booker, another BPA winner and AFL board member, joined the Loves for the opening number “Show People” from “Curtains.”

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it in the St. Louis metropolitan and metro-east Illinois region.

Nominations were announced Jan. 22 at the annual Trivia Night, which was a virtual event. They are listed on the website at www.artsforlife.org.

Prior to the pandemic, 15 theater groups and 10 youth-only groups participated in the BPAs As the region’s mitigations efforts were ongoing the past two years, only four youth-only groups and nine community theater organizations produced BPA-eligible musicals 2021.

 Groups participating in this year’s BPAs include Christ Memorial Productions, Dayspring Arts and Education, Gateway Center for Performing Arts, Goshen Theatre Project, Hawthorne Players, Kirkwood Theatre Guild, KTK Productions, Looking Glass Playhouse, Monroe Actors Stage Company, O’Fallon Theatre Works, OverDue Theatre, and Spotlight Productions.

For more information, visit the website at www.artsforlife.org

Here is the list of winners:

Best Large Ensemble Musical – “Shrek the Musical,” Kirkwood Theatre Guild

Best Small Ensemble Musical – “Fun Home,” Take Two Productions

Best Youth Production – “Cabaret,” Gateway Center for Performing Arts

Best Director – Adam Grun, “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Youth Director – Paul Pagano, “Cabaret,” Gateway Center for Performing Arts

Paul Pagano, Gateway Center for the Performing Arts

Best Music Director – Sean Bippen, “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Youth Music Director – Lori Barrett-Pagano, “Cabaret,” GCPA

Best Choreography – Kim Klick, “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Youth Choreography – Stephanie Fox, “Cabaret,” GCPA

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Christopher Strawhun, Shrek in “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Dawn Schmid, Fiona in “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Youth Actor in a Leading Role – Andrew Maroney, Emcee in “Cabaret,” GCPA

Best Youth Actress in a Leading Role – Sarah Moll, Grace, “Annie,” GCPA

Best Actor in a Featured Role – John Emery, Lord Farquaad in “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Actress in a Featured Role – Zoe Maya Miller, Medium Alison in “Fun Home,” Take Two

Best Actor in a Comedic Role – Chris Moore, Donkey in “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Actress in a Comedic Role – Sophie Kluba, Betty Jane in “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” Hawthorne Players

Chris Moore, Donkey in “Shrek the Musical”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Jack Nichols, Pinocchio in “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Natalie Cochran, Cogsworth in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Goshen Theatre Project

Best Youth Actor in a Supporting Role – Dan Wolfe, Rooster in “Annie,” GCPA

Best Youth Actress in a Supporting Role – Evelyn Vordtriede, Lily St. Regis, “Annie,” GCPA

Best Actor/Actress in a Cameo or Non-Singing Role: Jayson Heil, Narrator, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” GTP

Best Juvenile Performance – Kya Wonders, Carpet, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” GTP


Best Set Design – Stephen Peirick, Josh Smith, “Fun Home,” Take Two Productions

Terry Pattison, Best Costume Design, Goshen Theatre Project

Best Youth Set Design – Laura Skroska, “Annie,” GCPA

Best Lighting Design – Stephanie Draper, “Shrek the Musical,” KTG

Best Youth Lighting Design – Ryan Luedloff, “Matilda,” Spotlight Productions

Best Costume Design – Terry Pattison, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” GTP

Best Youth Costume Design – Tracey A. Newcomb, “Annie,” GCPA

Photos by Don Quon

Kirkwood Theatre Guild cast and crew of “Shrek”