Pomperaug High School Students Honored at Halo Awards

From Pomperaug Regional School District 15:

Pomperaug High School students were recognized at the 13th Annual Halo Awards on Wednesday, June 1st at 7 Angels Theatre in Waterbury. The Halo Awards, sponsored by 7 Angels Theatre, is a gala red carpet event that celebrates the best in Connecticut High School theatre. 64 schools from across the State of Connecticut participated in the event and numerous awards, including Best Actor and Actress in a Musical, Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical, Best Acting by an Ensemble Cast, Best Specialty Ensemble in a Musical, Best Student Choreographer, plus categories for lighting, design, stage management, and special effects were given.

The Pomperaug Theatre Company, the production part of the Pomperaug High School educational theatre program, had 16 Halo nominations for their spring production of Ubu, The Conqueror.

Pomperaug Theatre students won the following awards for their role in Ubu, The Conqueror: Sophie Stanko and her crew of Julia Kossakowski, Megan Balla, and Marina Matozzo won for Best Costume Design; Elyzabeth Styblo won for Best Make-up and Hair Design; and Abbey Dwight won for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Contemporary Play.

Ubu, The Conqueror was written and directed by Paul Doniger, English teacher and artistic director of the Pomperaug High School’s drama department for the past 11 years. Ubu, The Conqueror is a satirical play loosely based on characters from the late 19th Century plays by Alfred Jarry. The play takes Jarry’s less-than-brilliant title character, along with Ubu’s ambitious wife and some of the legendary character’s followers, and puts them into a setting 1,000 years into the future. Ubu, The Conqueror was performed this past Spring at Pomperaug High School.

Photo (Ubu and his conscience): Ubu, played by Cameron Slater, Halo Nominee for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Contemporary play, and his Conscience played by Abbey Dwight, Halo Award winner for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Contemporary Play.