Queensbury, Glens Falls win big at High School Musical Theatre Awards

“This is one of my favorite days of the year, every year,” said Phillip Morris, CEO of Proctors Collaborative. “What we just witnessed is the celebration of team effort. This is not one person shining alone, but a team working together… We are also celebrating the extraordinary effort of the high school teachers, and I have to say this loudly: they are often doing this voluntarily, their tech support is doing this voluntarily and the parents are helping voluntarily.”

Ogre-sized comedy and spelling bees were the big W-I-N-N-E-R-S with Queensbury High School’s “Shrek the Musical” and Glens Falls High School’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” taking home three awards each, including Best Musical in Tiers A and B, respectively.

“From the beginning our cast was thrilled to be working on this quirky show,” said Natalia Steves, who played the adult spelling bee moderator Rona Lisa Peretti, in a teary-eyed acceptance speech. “They’ve grown so much not just as actors, but as people too.”

For her portrayal of the skeptical yet romantic Marian the Librarian, Ashley Manocchi of Scotia-Glenville High School won Best Actress. Logan Esposito, who played the titular dreamer Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at Voorheesville High School, won Best Actor. The two will go on to compete at the Jimmy Awards, the national high school musical theater competition, next month in New York City.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it,” Esposito said, leaping up and down at the podium with joy.

Ballston Spa High School also had a fetch night earning two awards for its production of “Mean Girls.” Roman Mangino won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Kevin G, the rapping mathlete and wannabe ladies’ man, and the overall…