To the Editor:

In March, Voorheesville’s high school put on an amazing production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” As a high school production, Voorheesville was eligible to apply for participation in the regional High School Musical Theatre Awards program at Proctors, in Schenectady.

Thirty-two high schools in the region participated. Judges attended performances during the spring months at all participating schools, evaluating the performances in a variety of categories.

Clayton A. Bouton High School was nominated for three awards — best musical in its division, best supporting actor (Cian Connolly as Reuben), and best actor (Logan Esposito as Joseph).

The original performances in March, under the direction of Desiree Chappelle Streeter and the musical direction of Jake Purington, with choreography by Ben Dunlavey, were the result of months of hard work by cast, crew, and supporting family/community members.

The intense rehearsal schedule was renewed with the announcement of the nominations at the end of April. The first week in May was filled with rehearsals at school in preparation for rehearsals the following week at Proctors.

There was a lot of excitement on the morning of May 13 as the students and costumes were loaded onto the bus for transport to Proctors for the afternoon dress rehearsal and the evening awards ceremony. The chatter was about a week full of fun times, new friendships, and a shared passion for musical theater.

The evening performance began with an exciting choreographed performance of “Another Op’nin’, Another Show” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business” by two representatives from each of the 22 schools participating in the awards ceremony.

Cian Connolly and Logan Esposito represented Voorheesville’s high school. It proved to be just a taste of the incredible performances that followed throughout the night.

Voorheesville chose “One More Angel” as its performance for the best musical award. It is a high energy number lamenting, then celebrating the siblings’ loss of their brother, Joseph, after selling him into slavery. It showcased Cian Connolly, nominated as best supporting actor, and was enthusiastically received by the audience, but neither category earned the coveted top spot.

Five nominees for each of the top acting awards (best actress/best actor) stood side-by-side as the nominees took turns singing a short version of a signature song from their play. The Best Actress award went to Ashley Monocchi as the librarian Marian Paroo in Scotia-Glenville High School’s production of “The Music Man.”

Clayton A. Bouton High School supporters loudly cheered whenever Voorheesville performers were on stage, but they were out of their seats when Logan Esposito was announced as Best Actor for his portrayal of Joseph in Voorheesville’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

We all shared in the joy Logan exhibited on stage — jumping up and down in that amazing dreamcoat created by Megan and Marie Viscio.

Both Ashley and Logan will be heading to New York City for a week of private coaching, master classes, and rehearsals with theater professionals before the national high school musical theater awards ceremony — the Jimmy Awards on June 26.

Roughly 90 students from 40 regional programs, like the one at Proctors, will be able to experience this incredible adventure and have opportunities for merit scholarships, professional advancement, and other prizes. This is especially meaningful to Logan, who plans to study musical theater.

Congratulations to Ashley, Logan, all the performers who shared their talents with us that night, and to all who provided support to bring them to this point.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is one of my favorite musicals, so it was particularly exciting, as a member of the costume committee, to have the opportunity to follow the journey of the Voorheesville high school students from early struggles with songs and choreography to their outstanding performances on the stage at Proctors.

Sharon Breisch

New Scotland