'Excellence In Music' Award Added To Moorestown Theater Company Trophy Case

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The much-awarded Moorestown Theater Company added a new trophy to its case at a festival dedicated to excellence in children's musical theater.

The nonprofit won its first "Freddie G Excellence in Music Award" at the 20th Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta in January. This year's award was for MTC's 15-minute performance of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr.," which they performed in front of three adjudicators.

MTC has won seven "Excellence in Acting" awards at this festival since 2013. The Junior Theater Festival bills itself as "the world's biggest and best celebration of young people performing musical theater."

More than 6,400 students, teachers, and family members from across the U.S. gathered in Georgia over Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend for the festival. There were 125 theater companies and schools presenting, MTC said.

Vocal director/managing director Carol Ann Murray of Moorestown accepted the award with cast member Hannah Brodt, 15, of Mount Laurel. The "Freddie G. Awards" are named after Music Theatre International (MTI) Founder and Tony Award Winner Freddie Gershon, said the MTC.

“Just attending the Junior Theater Festival is a life-changing experience for our students, even if we don’t win any awards," said Murray in a press release from MTC. “But to win an ‘Excellence In Music’ Award for the first time is amazing, and it shows the caliber of singers that perform with MTC! And to win awards for the whole cast so frequently, rather than just individual awards, shows that MTC raises and improves the performance level of all of our Cast Members, not just an individual or two!”

Several other players were honored for their work; see info below.

This is the 21st season for the Moorestown Theater Company, which was named "Outstanding Community of the Year" in 2022 by the NJ Association of Community Theaters.

MTC’s 15 acting awards are as follows:

• One Acting Award (Individual) – 2013
• Three Acting Awards (Two Individuals + One Cast) – 2014
• Two Acting Awards (One Individual + One Cast) – 2015
• None – 2016
• One Acting Award (Cast) – 2017
• Two Acting Awards (One Individual + One Cast) - 2018
• Two Acting Awards (One Individual + One Cast) - 2019
• One Acting Award (Cast) - 2020
• One Acting Award (Cast) - 2021
• One Acting Award (Individual) - 2022
• One Music Award (Cast) - 2023

View the picture below for a full cast and crew list for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr." and the other MTC performers recognized for their efforts.