Congratulations! 7

Emily Howard had many reasons to smile at the close of the 20th annual Wayne County Performing Arts Celebration May 31st at Newark High School. Seven of them to be exact.At the tail end of her very first year of directing shows at NHS _ the fall dramatic production of “The Craving” and the spring music production of “Once Upon A Mattress ” Howard

couldn’t have been more excited that judges deemed the productions worthy of seven Elenbe awards.

• “The Craving” won best dramatic production.• “Once Upon A Mattress” was runner-up for best musical production.

• Junior Joe Goodman won best actor in “The Craving.” • Senior Makalah Crawford was runner-up for best actress in “Once Upon A Mattress.”

• Senior Sami Cepulo was runner-up for best supporting actress in “Once Upon A Mattress.”

“ Shelby Cramer, who designed the “Once Upon A Mattress” poster won for best original poster for a musical.

• “Once upon A Mattress” also won best bill-play for a musical. Alice Sierra Rosario, a senior member of the musical cast accepted the playbill award on behalf of the entire cast. 

“It was an especially meaningful night since we were celebrating 20 years of this fantastic recognition program,” Howard said afterward. “Our cast and crew of “The Craving” embodied the spirit of teamwork throughout the production. I am immensely proud of the work of our actors and crew members! This was my directorial debut and my cast helped and supported me every step of the way! Junior Joe Goodman led our cast. He is a consummate professional who always gives 100% in rehearsals and performances! I am excited to have another year to work with him.“Our musical winning runner up for Best Production was such a lovely surprise! I am always very

impressed with the talent across Wayne County. I am very grateful our production was acknowledged! Our cast and crew really felt like a family and that sense of community was presented on stage in our production. Senior Makalah Crawford shined in her performance as Princess Winnifred. She brought a great energy and her powerhouse voice to the role! Senior Sami Cepulo as the Queen stole scenes with her fantastic facial expressions and regal demeanor. She was the villainous queen we loved to hate!

“Junior Shelby Cramer lent her artistic talents to our poster designs for both productions and won for the musical! It is so great to have a cast member contribute to the production in this unique way and her poster design captured the spirit of our show!

“I am also extremely thankful for the support from our district, the families of our cast and crew, and my fellow production team members-Jean Bendix, Mary Lou Bonnell, and Dave Schwind. I am immensely proud of the Newark drama and musical program. We are thankful for the scholarship from Lyons National Bank. Elenbes are given out each spring at NHS to students and directors involved in musical and dramatic productions in 10 Wayne County schools. Judges in the contest, sponsored by the Lyons National Bank, are members of the Wayne County Council For the Arts who attend every performance. Prior to the awards presentation May 3ist, five-to-six minute vignettes from the various schools’ musical and dramatic productions, were performed in the auditorium.

As he has done for the last 19 out of 20 years, Don Alhart, 13-WHAM TV anchor, with his inimitable wit and charm, once again was the Wayne County Performing Arts Celebration Master of Ceremonies. Because this was the 20th year anniversary of the Wayne County Performing Arts Celebration, several former Elenbe award winners _ including Howard, who won an “Elenbe” in 1999 for best actress in a musical when she played Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls” _ were onstage when the various awards were presented. Another highlight of the evening was when Robert Schick, President and CEO of Lyons Bancorp Inc., and Lyons National Bank, which had sponsored The Elenbes program from day one, received an award of appreciation.The inscription on the plaque reads: “Without the support of the Lyons National Bank, this unique awards program for the talented studentsin Wayne County would not be possible.” The Wayne County Performing Arts Awards Celebration program (The Elenbes), was founded by former NCSD Superintendent Robert Christmann, who retired in 2012 from his job as Superintendent of the Grand Island school district. He was given a Lifetime Achievement award in 2007. Lyons National Bank has funded this program in its entirety since the first year. The name of the award, The Elenbe, finds its source in the LNB letters representing the Lyons National Bank.

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