CK Theatre Students Earn State and National Awards

Anastasia Nevelev was notified that she had been selected, after an application and interview process, to serve as an STO (Student Thespian Officer) for the Michigan Educational Theatre Association for the 2024/2025 school year. Along with outreach and many other small responsibilities she will have under her belt next year, her largest task will be to help organize and activate The 2024 Michigan Thespian Festival in December. Cranbrook has been attending the Festival since 2013 when Director of Theatre Dan Dobrovich reinstated Troupe #4777 that Dr. Chuck Geroux began in the 90s. Ever since then, between 1500 and 1800 students from across the state come together for a weekend of workshops, competitions, college auditions, and camaraderie. This year, Anastasia will be an instrumental part of bringing that experience to our state. To learn more about Festival, you can visit https://www.michiganthespians.org/

 

Arielle Olkhovsky traveled to Interlochen to compete in the English Speaking Union’s (ESU) National Shakespeare Competition. This is the first time the state of Michigan has been involved in this National Competition and Arielle became the first State Champion and will travel to NYC in April to compete nationally. At the state competition, she memorized and performed a monologue and a sonnet for the judges. The weekend also afforded her the opportunity to be individually coached and attend workshops given by the ESU and Interlochen. To learn more about the ESU’s National Shakespeare Competition, you can visit https://www.esuus.org/what-we-do/shakespeare-competition/

 

Both Bella Gerlants-Mavashev and Arden Baker were nominated as Outstanding Performers in a Leading Role for their performances of Regina George and Karen Smith, respectively, in Cranbrook Theater's winter musical production of Mean Girls: High School Version. Each year, the Cranbrook musical is adjudicated by the National High School Musical Theatre Awards: nicknamed nationally as “The Jimmy Awards” and here in Michigan, “The Sutton Foster Awards,” sponsored by The Wharton Center in East Lansing. Having been nominated, Bella and Arden will spend two consecutive weekends at Michigan State University, prepping performances and getting professionally coached before competing in the Sutton Foster Awards in May. There are over fifty schools and one hundred students nominated this year. The two winners from the state competition will travel to NYC in June to compete in the Jimmy Awards. Countless competitors from the Jimmy Awards have found a fruitful career on Broadway! To learn more about the Sutton Foster Awards, visit https://www.whartoncenter.com/education-engagement/sutton-foster-awards To learn more about the Jimmy Awards, visit https://www.jimmyawards.com/

 

We extend our warmest congratulations to the students who are continuing to make CK Theatre a strong and successful community of artists!