NEW HAVEN, Conn. – For the first time in Fitch Falcon Theatre history, students were nominated for the prestigious Stephen Sondheim Awards.
The Sondheim Awards were created to honor standout performances in high school musical theater across the state of Connecticut. This year, the event was held on Saturday, May 9 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, where Fitch sophomore Jude Rodricks and Marine Science Magnet High School were both nominated for “Best Supporting Actor” for their performances Fitch’s production of “Into The Woods.” This is the first time Fitch Falcon Theatre has been eligible for the Sondheims.
Though both students came up short in their bid for the award, the ceremony remained a memorable experience.
“You could feel the energy through the people you bumped into on the way to your seat,” said Rodricks. “Being a sophomore in that environment felt really hopeful for my future; it showed me what I can be and how to get there.”
The venue included a red carpet room where professional photos were taken for each high school invited. All groups had an opportunity to take pictures. The staff was notably organized and efficient, getting people in for photos and out to their seats.
“It felt so welcoming to be there with everyone,” said Fake. “Just the theater alone was filled with hundreds of amazingly talented high schoolers… it was a dream come true to be there.”
The award ceremony was roughly two and a half hours long and featured performances from each “Best Actor/Actress” nominee and “Best Musical” nominee. At the end of the show, every nominee performed a closing number together that they had rehearsed earlier that day. With little time to learn the material, students performed familiar numbers from their respective shows.
For Rodricks and Fake, the experience left them motivated for the future.
“I hope that in years to come our theater program will grow from this experience,” said Fake. “[I hope we all] work hard to achieve that ‘next level’ type of theater that was at the Sondheim Awards.”
