Boothbay Region YMCA students pose with their Outstanding Production trophy. (Photo courtesy James Barker Photography)
Students from the Boothbay Region YMCA Y-Arts program won a Freddie G. Outstanding Production award and students Rick Hilscher and Jackie McLoon won a Freddie G. award for Outstanding Student Direction and Choreography at the 2018 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, which took place Jan. 12-14 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. The Junior Theater Festival Atlanta united 6,000-plus students and educators from 130 educational musical theater groups representing 30 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
The 19 Boothbay Region YMCA Y-Arts students, ages 7-18, presented selections from “Seussical Junior,” for performer, teacher, and choral director David Rogers-Smith and Karma Camp, resident choreographer at the Signature Theatre and choreographic consultant for “The Graduate” on Broadway.
“Wow! Wow, wow! Boothbay was a like a super-caffeinated group with energy to spare,” Camp said. “They had some of the most creative direction and choreography I saw during the day and both those functions were performed by students! Bravo!”
“Boothbay Region YMCA gave us such excellent direction in such an unusual Seuss world. This is a group of future stars!” said Rogers-Smith.
Boothbay Region YMCA Y-Arts’ Rick Hilscher and Jackie McLoon were named to the Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, made up of outstanding performers attending the festival. The All-Stars performed a song during the closing ceremony for all 6,000 festival attendees.
Produced by the Junior Theater Group in partnership with iTheatrics, a leading educational theater company that creates innovative experiences and products for the public and private sector, the Junior Theater Festival Atlanta is the world’s largest festival celebrating young people and the transformative power of musical theater. The Junior Theater Festival was founded in 2003. In 2010, it became an annual event.
