Youth Theatre Carson City’s Showstoppers brought home several awards from the Musical Theatre Competitions of America 2022, a national competition.
Youth Theatre Carson City’s Showstoppers brought home several awards from the Musical Theatre Competitions of America 2022, a national competition.
The competition in Southern California on Feb. 12-13 featured 33 teams representing 19 states and three countries.
The Youth Theatre Carson City Showstoppers received second place for their Ensemble Musical Revue, a tribute to Alan Menken, composer of many classic Disney films and Broadway favorites including Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors, and Sister Act.
Several individual performers also took home awards: Anuhea Azevedo, third place 8th Grade Solo Performance; Bay Eaton, fourth place 8th Grade Solo Performance and Lilliahna and Aven McColl, fourth place 9th Grade Duet Performance.
Not only did the whole group receive prestigious awards, but two of the Youth Theatre Carson City Showstoppers, Hannah Walker and Aven McColl, were selected from more than 700 auditioners to participate in a showcase directed and choreographed by Broadway professionals and to perform in front of a packed house of more than 1,200 at the conclusion of the competition.
“I couldn’t be more proud of all our amazing young performers and the hard work they have put into their performances,” said Andie Wilkerson, Youth Theatre Carson City’s Artistic Director. “This is their first time competing live and in person in over two years. They have overcome disappointment, loss, and so much more these past two years to get where they are today – I can’t wait to see where they’ll go next.”
The Showstoppers worked tirelessly over the past several months on two separate performance pieces, a professional open-call audition piece, and individual performances that were adjudicated at the competition.
The Youth Theatre Carson City Showstoppers are made up of 17 local young singers, dancers and actors between the ages of 10-18, the Showstoppers tour and compete bringing their love of the arts to their community, and now to a national stage.
Musical Theatre Competitions of America was established in 2005 to provide a competitive and educational event for Musical Theatre students and directors. Over the three-day event, students participated in professional-style auditions, competed with both group and individual performance pieces, took master classes from Broadway professionals and received personalized feedback from industry professionals.
The Youth Theatre Carson City Showstoppers will perform their award-winning performance pieces and more at Youth Theatre Carson City’s Spotlight Awards Showcase at 7 p.m. April 19 at the Carson City Community Center. Admission is free.
Want to be a part of the 2022-2023 Showstoppers competition team? Auditions for new members will be held from 4-6 p.m., May 20 at Western Nevada Performing Arts Center, 951 N Stewart St. Auditions are open to singers, dancers, and actors ages 8-18.
For information, visit www.youththeatrecarsoncity.com/showstoppers
