ACT ANNOUNCES 2023 ISAAC AWARD NOMINATIONS

Altoona Community Theatre is pleased to announce the area high schools and individual students nominated for this season’s ISAAC AWARDS.

ACT’s 2023 ISAACS will be presented Saturday and Sunday, May 27 & 28 in the Historic Mishler Theatre. The Mission of the ISAAC AWARDS is to encourage & support excellence in high school musical theatre in our region through an annual awards and scholarship event that recognizes student achievement.

This is the 18th year for THE ISAACS, the popularity of which has grown so large that ACT has expanded the event to two nights to accommodate the number of schools wishing to participate. Each night has its independent winners, meaning there will be two equal winners announced for each category over the weekend.

Tickets to the event are sold to the participating schools for their entire group. Family and friends wishing to attend the ceremony should contact their school for a ticket. Tickets will only be sold to the public if seats remain after school sales have been finalized in late May.

Each year THE ISAACS distributes more than $40,000 in college scholarships to students participating in their high school musicals, underwritten by Title Sponsor Reliance Bank and others, including Penn State Altoona, Mount Aloysius College, Juniata College and Saint Francis University. The Steven C. Helsel Legacy Scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior who has been actively involved in some capacity with ACT. In addition, Bill and Ann Benzel (a long-time sponsor) presents each of the 20 schools in the ISAACS with $500 for their upcoming production budgets.

The 2023 ISAACS will feature 20 schools from a six-county area (Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Huntingdon). During the year, two panels of judges from ACT views the schools’ musicals and determines the nominations in a variety of production and individual categories, the winners of which will be announced onstage at the Mishler between musical numbers from each school’s entry.

More information at altoonacommunitytheatre.com/isaac-awards

The schools and individual students for this year’s ISAACS nominations are:

Ian Klahre – Albert Peterson – Bye, Bye Birdie – Everett High School

Benjamin Coudriet – Seymour – Little Shop of Horrors – Philipsburg-Osceola High School

Mariela Decanini – Baker – Into the Woods – Grier School

Isabella Paladina – Audrey – Little Shop of Horrors – Philipsburg-Osceola High School

Olivia Williams – Belle – Beauty and the Beast – Moshannon Valley High School

Grace Ansley – Baker’s Wife – Into the Woods – Grier School

Jenna Hicks – Dorothy – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Colleen Barnett – Maria – The Sound of Music – Bishop Carroll High School

Karleigh Sage – Lumière – Beauty and the Beast – Moshannon Valley High School

Wyatt Millar – Scarecrow – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Korey Emel – Tin Man – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Cody Biter – Kenickie – Grease – Forest Hills High School

Benjamin Gervinski – Nathan Detroit – Guys and Dolls – Hollidaysburg Area High School

Bella Contreras – Cinderella – Into the Woods – Grier School

Dung (Alexis) Cao – Witch – Into the Woods – Grier School

Sara Reed – Wicked Witch – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Marah Goff – Rusty – Footloose – Central High School

Faith Smith – Leisl – The Sound of Music – Bishop Carroll High School

Andrew Ostinowsky – Max Detwiler – The Sound of Music – Bishop Carroll High School

Gideon Karn – Nicely Nicely – Guys and Dolls – Hollidaysburg Area High School

Carlie Evock – Drake/Bert Healy – Annie – Bald Eagle Area High School

Mackenzie Duvall – Mae Peterson – Bye, Bye Birdie – Everett Area High School

Izzy Boyer – Rev. Shaw Moore – Footloose – Central High School

Munchkins – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

The Burger Palace Boys – Grease – Forest Hills High School

Doo Wop Girls – Little Shop of Horrors – Philipsburg-Osceola High School

VonTrapp Children – The Sound of Music – Bishop Carroll High School

Orphans – Annie – Bald Eagle Area High School

The Laendler – The Sound of Music – Bishop Carroll High School

Shriners Ballet – Bye, Bye Birdie – Everett Area High School

If I Only Had a Heart – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Born to Hand Jive – Grease – Forest Hills High School

Footloose – Footloose – Central High School

Merry Old Land of Oz – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Greased Lightning – Grease – Forest Hills High School

The Lonely Goatherd – The Sound of Music – Bishop Carroll High School

Suddenly Seymour – Little Shop of Horrors – Philipsburg-Osceola High School

Put on a Happy Face – Bye, Bye Birdie – Everett Area High School

Into the Woods – Grier School

Little Shop of Horrors – Philipsburg-Osceola High School

The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Grease – Forest Hills High School

Bye, Bye Birdie – Everett Area High School

Stage Crew – Grease – Forest Hills High School

Stage Crew – Little Shop of Horrors – Philipsburg-Osceola High School

Stage Manager – Abigail McCloskey – Annie – Bald Eagle Area High School

Stage Crew – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Stage Crew – Olivia Burk, Alessandra Menie, Zach Novak, Madi Cocho, Lexi Kutchman,

Landon Duman – The Sound of Music – Bishop Carroll High School

Stage/Tech Crew – Into the Woods – Grier School

Stage Crew – Guys and Dolls – Hollidaysburg Area High School

Grace Bacon – Lighting Design – Annie – Bald Eagle Area High School

Olivia Burk – Set Design – The Sound of Music – Bishop Carroll High School

Nolan Hite – Set Design – Little Shop of Horrors – Philipsburg-Osceola High School

Karleigh Sage – Set Painting – Beauty and the Beast – Moshannon Valley High School

Eva Morris, Rebecca Swartz, and Kaitlyn Wise – Proscenium Painting – The Wizard of Oz – Huntingdon Area High School

Little Shop of Horrors – Grace Henry, Kaydince Kiessling, and Benjamin Coudriet – Philipsburg-Osceola High School

Beauty and the Beast – Olivia Williams, Julie Kohute, Abigail Caldwell, and Rebecca Kiner – Moshannon Valley High School

The Sound of Music – Colleen Barnett, Mackenzie Rezk, Stephany Mantorani-Toretto, and Vittoria Trotta – Bishop Carroll High School

Sammy Fogle – Annabeth – The Lightning Thief – Cambria Heights High School

Madeleine Christopher – Dolly Levi – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

Keira Mayhue – Peggy Sawyer – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Grace Kozak – Anastasia – Anastasia – Glendale Jr/Sr High School

Jane Burgess – Mary Poppins – Mary Poppins – Bellefonte Area High School

Ethan King – Percy Jackson – The Lightning Thief – Cambria Heights High School

Daman Mills – Danny Zuko – Grease – Bellwood-Antis High School

Hunter Hatch – Troy Bolton – High School Musical – Great Commission

Ryan Longstreth – Julian Marsh – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Al Eburne – Horace Vandergelder – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

Angela Petrarca – Dorothy Brock – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Samarra Wertz – Ms. Darbus – High School Musical – Great Commission

Mariele Wassom – Irene Malloy – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

Trinity Riva – Jan – Grease – Bellwood-Antis High School

Natalya Cann – Clarisse – The Lightning Thief – Cambria Heights High School

Austin Malenich – Grover – The Lightning Thief – Cambria Heights High School

Luke Mock – Willard – Footloose – Chestnut Ridge High School

Luca Snyder – Cornelius Hackl – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

Ethan Eisenhart – Billy Lawlor – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Caden Guizar – George Banks – Mary Poppins – Bellefonte Area High School

Brendon Tinker – Mr. D. – The Lightning Thief – Cambria Heights High School

Wyatt Tanner – Jack Scott – High School Musical – Great Commission

Sarabeth Lloyd – Lily – Anastasia – Glendale Jr/Sr High School

Cecilia Mazzocco – Mrs. Corry – Mary Poppins – Bellefonte Area High School

Ryleigh Jones – Minnie Fay – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

The Pink Ladies – Grease – Bellwood-Antis High School

Tap Ensemble – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Orphans – Annie – Bishop Guilfoyle High School

The Ensemble – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

The Ensemble – Anastasia – Glendale Jr/Sr High School

Born to Hand Jive – Grease – Bellwood-Antis High School

Get’cha Head in the Game – High School Musical – Great Commission

Put on Your Sunday Clothes – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

The Audition – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Claire Piper – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Hello Dolly – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

42nd Street – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

In My Dreams – Anastasia – Glendale Jr/Sr High School

The Winner Takes It All – Mamma Mia – West Branch High School

When There Was Me and You – High School Musical – Great Commission

Grease – Bellwood-Antis High School

High School Musical – Great Commission

Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Anastasia – Glendale Jr/Sr High School

Stage Crew – Mary Poppins – Bellefonte Area High School
Stage Crew – The Lightning Thief – Cambria Heights High School

Stage Crew – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Stage Manager – Holly Butler – Annie – Bishop Guilfoyle High School

Assistant Stage Managers – Isaac Moore, Dylan Miller, and Sam Higgins – High School Musical – Great Commission

Student Director/Publicist – Raven Myers – Mamma Mia – West Branch High School

Stage Crew – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

Lighting Design – Trinna Novak, Chris Smith, Stella Stoltz, Angelina Lingenfelter, Malia Anderson, Regan Connor – The Lightning Thief – Cambria Heights High School

Set Design – Dylan Miller – High School Musical – Great Commission

Costume Design – Alexandria Hamel – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Make-up Design – Eva Guenther – Mary Poppins – Bellefonte Area High School

Taverna Design – Matthew Elrich – Mamma Mia – West Branch High School

Natalya Cann – D.O.A. – The Lightning Thief – Cambria Heights High School

Claire Piper and Emily Berkheimer – 42nd Street – 42nd Street – Altoona Area High School

Mila Palazzi and Grace Baldwin – High School Musical – Great Commission

Xavier Coudriet and Madison McDowell – Dancing Queen and Lay All Your Love on Me – Mamma Mia – West Branch High School

Cecilia Mazzocco – Jolly Holiday and Step in Time – Mary Poppins – Bellefonte Area High School

Audrey Shaner, Jillian Stoltzfus, and Bri Dzyak – I Put My Hand in There – Hello Dolly – State College Area High School

For complete information about the ISAAC AWARDS, visit ACT’s website at www.altoonacommunitytheatre.com/isaac-awards/

Businesses or individuals wishing to join ACT’s sponsorship roster for THE ISAACS may contact Tara Enedy, Executive Director, at

(814) 943-4357.