Suburban thespians recognized at musical theater awards

By his own estimation, Jake Mickel of Elgin has appeared in more than two dozen musicals and plays, both at Central High School in Burlington and with the Kane County chapter of Christian Youth Theater.

This week, his hard work paid off.

Mickel was one of 24 actors nominated for best actor and best actress as part of Broadway in Chicago's Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards. This is the seventh year for the awards, and its nominees were selected after a review committee evaluated 80 productions across the state.

In Mickel's case, he was nominated for his leading role last fall of J. Pierpont Finch in the Broadway classic "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

"I'm so incredibly honored," says Mickel, who added that he was challenged by the high energy and comedic timing needed to pull off the role of Finch, who schemes his way from a window washer to CEO.

Throughout his many shows, Mickel says that he has learned empathy by putting himself in other people's shoes and about the human spirit.

"We live life in stories," Mickel says, "and through musical theater, I'm able to tell these stories in a beautiful way."

Mickel plans to continue his passion for theater in college. This fall he will attend Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, to pursue his bachelor's degree in fine arts.

His passion for theater mirrors that of many of the nominees, including Alexandria Hibbard-Brown of Libertyville. She was nominated for her role last fall as Anna in "The King and I" at Libertyville High School.

The entire show was one of five nominees for best production. The other four included: Stevenson High School's "Fiddler on the Roof," Benet Academy's production of "Hello Dolly," Cary Grove High School's performance of "Seussical," and "Tuck Everlasting," at York High School.

Hibbard-Brown says the role of the English teacher in "The King and I" was the biggest role she has ever tackled, yet she loved every aspect of it.

"Not only was working with the cast and crew members great, but I also loved working with all of the children," Hibbard-Brown says. "The crazy thing is, they actually saw me as Mrs. Anna.

"I wasn't Alex Hibbard-Brown anymore, but I was someone they looked up to and came to when they needed something," she adds. "Since I want to be a teacher, this gave me a glimpse of how awesome my future will be."

This fall, Hibbard-Brown will be attending Illinois State University, where she plans to study instrumental education, with the hopes of becoming a music teacher.

As a result of being nominated, these 24 high school actors punched their tickets to a workshop led by Gabriella Sorrentino, dance captain and cast member of the Chicago production of "Hamilton."

This unique workshop and performance took place on Monday at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place in Chicago, where afterward the actual awards for best actor, actress and production were announced.

Advancing now to New York are Darian Goulding of Hampshire High School, who was nominated for his outstanding portrayal of the Beast in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," as well as Natalie Doppelt of Deerfield High School, who originally was nominated for her performance as Sr. Mary Robert in "Sister Act."

They now will represent Illinois as they head to New York on an all-expense paid trip for a week of private coaching, master classes and rehearsals with theater professionals. Their week culminates with a performance on a Broadway stage, as well as the announcements of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards and the Jimmy Awards.

In addition, York Community High School won the award for best production for "Tuck Everlasting," and Crystal Lake South High School earned the award for best scenic design for its production of "Peter Pan." Finally, Rebecca Marianetti earned the best direction award for York's production of "Tuck Everlasting."

Illinois High School Musical Theatre Award nominees

<b>Nominees for Best Actress</b>• Audrey Hare as "Mrs. Irene Molloy" in Benet Academy's "Hello, Dolly!"

• Alicia O'Reilly as "Eponine" in Carl Sandburg High School's "Les Miserables"

• Alyssa DiRaimondo as "Gertrude McFuzz" in Cary-Grove High School's "Seussical"

• Natalie Doppelt as "Sister Mary Robert" in Deerfield High School's "Sister Act" (winner)

• Carly Meyer as "Ariel" in Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South High School's "The Little Mermaid"

• Joy Woods as "Deloris Van Cartier" in Homewood-Flossmoor High School's "Sister Act"

• Alexandria Hibbard-Brown as "Anna Leonowens" in Libertyville High School's "The King and I"

• Emma Samuelson as "Jo March" in Loyola Academy's "Little Women"

• Maura Pawleko as "Velma Von Tussle" in Oak Park-River Forest High School's "Hairspray"

• Annie Yamamoto as "Sister Mary Robert" in William Fremd High School's "Sister Act"

• Carina Kanzler as "Mae Tuck" in York Community High School's "Tuck Everlasting"

• Erin Lee as "Winnie Foster" in York Community High School's "Tuck Everlasting"

<b>Nominees for Best Actor</b>• Connor White as "Don Lockwood" in Addison Trail High School's "Singin' In The Rain"

• A.J. DePew as "Tevye" in Adlai E. Stevenson High School's "Fiddler On The Roof"

• Patrick Vivoda as "Cornelius Hackl" in Benet Academy's "Hello, Dolly!"

• Spencer Avery as "Prince Eric" in Bolingbrook High School's "The Little Mermaid"

• Jake Mickel as "J. Pierpont Finch" in Burlington Central High School's "How To Succeed In Business Without Really

Trying"

• Justin O'Brien as "The Cat In The Hat" in Cary-Grove High School's "Seussical"

• Johnny Rabe as "Charley Kringas" in The Chicago Academy for the Arts' "Merrily We Roll Along"

• Darian Goulding as "The Beast" in Hampshire High School's "Beauty and the Beast" (winner)

• Dominic Cappuccilli as "Jean Valjean" in Mundelein High School's "Les Miserables"

• Aiden Lenehan as "Edna Turnblad" in Oak Park-River Forest High School's "Hairspray"

• Andrew Tufano as "Bobby Child" in St. Ignatius College Prep's "Crazy For You"

• David Larsen as "Quasimodo" in South Elgin High School's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"

<b>Nominees for Best Production</b>• Adlai E. Stevenson High School's production of "Fiddler On The Roof"

• Benet Academy's production of "Hello, Dolly!"

• Cary Grove High School's production of "Seussical"

• Libertyville High School's production of "The King and I"

• York Community High School's production of "Tuck Everlasting" (winner)