Mt. Vernon Thespy Awards
Before The Thespy Awards
May 13, 2021
The Mt. Vernon Theatre 2021 Thespy Awards were held on May 4th at 7:00 P.M. The ceremony occurs annually in the spring to honor the nominated thespians and crew members, announce awards, and reveal the shows of the next theatre season. New inductees into the International Thespian Society are also announced.
Reflecting on the past season, MV Theatre has endured a lot of challenges, but the ceremony was able to reflect and celebrate the 2020-2021 season. MV Theatre performed two shows during a pandemic, the tech crew made it rain on stage for “Singin’ in the Rain,” and the department was one of the first in Indiana to perform “Anastasia.”
Some alterations were made to the way tech awards are typically awarded. Joy Mills, the technical director, presented Keenan Jaques (11) with “Theatre Technician of the Year.” This award is traditionally won by a senior. Heartwarmingly, Mills honored the tech seniors with the “Cornerstone Member Awards,” describing them as the “foundation” department. They are a group that have been with her since she started at Mt. Vernon three years ago, and it was expressed by Mills that an award like the “Cornerstone” was unlikely to be awarded again.
The 2021-2022 season also struck a buzz in the crowd. In the fall of 2021, MV Theatre is set to perform “Mary Poppins.” In the spring of 2022, the department will be venturing to River City to perform “The Music Man.”
Students honored at the ceremony are presented awards and recognition for their outstanding work, attitudes, and devotion in MV Theatre. Below are this year’s winners, inductees, and those receiving higher rankings in International Thespian Society.
Best Ensemble Member Award
Lily Phipps – Anastasia
Singin’ in the Rain – People’s Choice Award
Alycia Arkenau & Shiloh McFarland
Anastasia – People’s Choice Award
Helena Rovira Resino
Best Actress in a Featured Role
Madalyn Cottrell – Anastasia
Best Actor in a Featured Role
Ben Dostalek – Anastasia
Best Actress in a Lead Role
Natalie Marchal – Anastasia
Best Actor in a Lead Role
Daimon Anderson – Anastasia
TECH CREW AWARDS
Tech Crew “Rookie” Award- Emma Frank
Tech Crew “Skill Enhancement” Award- Issac Borgman
Tech Crew “Extra Mile” Award- Maddie Black
Tech Crew Dedication Award- Hailey Riley
Tech Crew Leadership Award- Dustin Meek
Tech Crew MVP for Singin’ in the Rain– Allison Stevens and Mari Gutierrez
Tech Crew MVP for Anastasia– Zachary Cadriff
Theatre Technician of the Year- Keenan Jaques
Cornerstone Member Award- Sydney Nichols, Taylor Lorsung, Kira Preston, Ethan Cottrell, Cole Hess, Nolan Gronowski, Sophia Frank, Om Patel, Spencer Mounts, and Alex Tinnel.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
Singin’ in the Rain – Congeniality Award- Shiloh McFarland
Anastasia – Congeniality Award- Sophie Frank
Thespian of the Year- Madalyn Cottrell
INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN SOCIETY
ITS Members Receiving Higher Rankings:
Shiloh McFarland – 2-Star Vice President’s List Scholar
Madalyn Cottrell – 3-Star Vice President’s List Scholar Therspian
Natalie Marchal- 5-Star Thespian
International Thespian Society Inductees:
Dustin Meek – Thespian
Cole Hess- President’s List Thespian
Bailey German- 2-Star Vice President’s List Scholar Thespian
Lily Phipps- 2-Star Vice President’s List Scholar Thespian
