Young Actors Saluted by Theater Group

Students who placed first in the Drama Teachers’ Assn. of Southern California’s Shakespeare festivals were honored by the California Youth Theatre in Hollywood.

The 21st Salute to the Winners, held Sunday at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood, honored the 60 winners from Saturday’s Shakespeare festival for junior high school students at Hale Middle School in Woodland Hills and the 32 high school students who competed in a festival at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys on March 7.

As part of the program, the students reenacted their winning scenes.

Hale, which won eight categories out of 16 in Saturday’s festival, had the largest number of participants with 38.

“It was incredible for us,” said Hale drama teacher Jackie Young. “It was so exciting and wonderful to have all their parents see them perform on the stage of the Paramount Theatre.”

Seven junior high schools were represented in Sunday’s event, including two from the Valley--Hale and Sun Valley Middle School.

Monroe High School in North Hills and El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills were two of six high schools represented Sunday.

El Camino, which won “The Taming Of the Shrew” group event at Birmingham, had six participants, while Monroe was represented by Nicole Mansour, the winner of the monologue category.

“We were there to celebrate the works of Shakespeare and the art itself,” Mansour said. “It was exciting being around people with the same interest as myself.”