‘Side Show,’ ‘Music Man’ reap MACY awards

Tom Titus

They may not have walked off with the big trophy, as they did last

year, but members of Huntington Beach High School’s Academy for the

Performing Arts made their presence felt at this year’s Music and Art

Commendation for Youth awards.

Two academy musicals, “Side Show” and “The Music Man,” both

directed by Tim Nelson, collected a total of 28 trophies at the

recent MACY festivities in Fullerton’s Plummer Auditorium. “Side

Show” captured the prestigious Teatro Dell’Arte award.

Actors “D” Pull and Amie Shapiro earned “highest achievement”

honors for their performances in both productions, while Matt

Bartosch and Nicole Gerard took home these trophies for their work in

“Side Show,” as did the orchestra and ensemble for both shows.

Outstanding achievement laurels were bestowed on Brian Chapman and

A.J. Guttierrez for “Side Show” and Jill Prout for “The Music Man.”

Ryan Hill won an achievement award for “Music Man.”

Special recognition honors went to “Music Man” cast members Alex

Bartosch, Brian Chapman, Alie Gibbons, A.J. Gutierrez, Riley

Richards, Michael Taber and Liang Wang.

Bright spot trophies were presented to Erin Bull, Savanna

Saatijian and Nicole Weber for “Side Show” and Josh Alton, Natalie

Kollar and Jenna Pinkham for “Music Man.”

Two dozen high school performing arts groups competed for the MACY

prizes in the 33rd annual ceremony, organized in 1971 by Lee and John

Childress, who were accorded a standing ovation at the recent event.

The MACY awards show is “a celebration of the talent, hard work,

dedication, energy and boundless enthusiasm of everyone who has

participated in the wonderful musical theater productions of our

schools,” the Childresses said.

In a rare occurrence, the ceremony’s top award, the MACY, was

captured in a tie by two schools producing the same musical, “Les

Miserables.” Both Dana Hills High School and Aliso Niguel High School

hit the jackpot with their productions in the first year in which

“Les Miz” was available to non-professional groups.

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Golden West College has been forced to change its summer

production, due to a conflict with the royalties for “Red Noses,”

which was scheduled for next month. Director Tom Amen announced that

Golden West will, instead, present “All in the Timing” by David Ives,

a collection of eight one-act comedies. The show will open on the

same date, July 11, originally planned for “Red Noses.”