Following a weekend with record setting audiences, the South Seneca Falcon Players received six awards from the Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS) for their production of Charlie Smalls and William Brown’s The Wiz.
TANYS’ mission is to foster the contribution of theatre to the lives of the citizens of New York State, promote high standards of theatre practice through education and example, and encourage exchanges of information and in the theater community.
The group offers adjudication services to its member organizations where a trained judge experienced in theatre offers objective, constructive feedback to the cast and production team that help the performers and company learn and grow.
Awards are given for noteworthy achievement and the same standards are used whether a production is mounted by a community, college or high school group. The award categories are: Meritorious Achievement – some advanced theatrical skill noted, Excellence – theatrical skill base not routinely noted in non-professional theatre, and Outstanding Achievement – theatrical skill base rarely seen in non-professional theatre.
Paul Nelson, the Vice President for Adjudication Services for TANYS, observed Sunday afternoon’s performance and the awarded the Falcon Players production of The Wiz the following accolades:
Excellence in Lighting Design to Mark Sinkiewicz
Excellence in Vocal and Orchestral Direction to Mark Brown and Rebecca DeGrave
Excellence in Direction and Production Concept and Execution to Tina Coville-Bauder
Excellence in Choreography and Make Up Design to Chad Eastman
Meritorious Achievement in Ensemble Performance to the Cast
Meritorious Achievement in Performance to Aden VanCleef for his portrayal of Tinman
“To have received this great recognition for our cast members and production staff two years in a row is a real honor and I believe shows what kind of quality and tradition we have built here at South Seneca,” stated Director Tina Coville-Bauder. “This year’s cast truly came together as a family and I could not ask for a more wonderful group of adult colleagues to work with on our production staff. I am especially happy for Aden, who stepped into the role of the Tinman just 6 weeks before the production. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put the show together and to everyone who came to see the show. We were nearly standing room only both Friday and Sunday, which speaks volumes for the support the community is willing to show for our students’ hard work.”
