The pandemic gave extremely talented, musically-inclined students a long time to rest their voices. It’s safe to say that Blind Brook’s actors came back with intensity! The Metropolitan High School Theater Awards, colloquially known as the “Metros,” returned in 2023 for the 22nd time following a three-year pause due to the pandemic. Fifty-six high school musicals from Westchester, Bergen, Putnam, and Rockland counties were assessed by judges. Although not all were nominated for awards, BBHS broke their theater record and received an impressive total of twelve nominations! As Lohud reported on May 15, 2023, “Blind Brook’s ‘Something Rotten!’ leads Metro nominees: Blind Brook was nominated for direction, music direction, choreography, scenic and lighting design, for chorus, featured performer, dance performance by a female-identifying performer and performance in a supporting female-identified role. There were also nominations for student critic and for technical achievement, a teacher-nominated honor.” To top it all off, Something Rotten! received a nomination for overall production of a musical, the Metros’ top honor.
Theater arts are a unique form of entertainment which are very appealing. They combine singing, dancing, and acting, and encourage performers to be “triple threats,” mastering each of those components of performance. They require a collaborative nature as extremely talented individuals work together and create a production greater than themselves. This is where the BBHS cast and crew has excelled. The show’s director, Christina Colangelo, who has also been nominated for numerous Metro awards herself, commends her top-nominated cast, stating, “I personally believe that musical theater performance is an integral part of education. It promotes interpersonal communication, listening skills, teamwork, creativity and provides opportunities for discussion and analysis. Because we are such a small school, most of our cast is also involved in many other activities (sports, dance, clubs, etc.) and their ability to balance these time consuming activities, and our rehearsal schedule, encourages them to multitask and manage their time appropriately.”
Many are wondering if there was something about performing this musical, specifically, that caused our actors and actresses to flaunt their talent in a more passionate way than usual. After receiving numerous nominations, Abby Meron, who played the role of Minstrel in “Something Rotten!,” stated, “What made this show stand out to others was really the cast we had, and how perfect they were for this show. We were like a family and just had the best time putting it on… the sense of perseverance and hard work we had throughout the process was really what made it different from other shows.”
On June 12th the Metro awards ceremony was held before a packed house at the Tarrytown Music Hall, with live performances by the nominated performers and casts, including the cast of Blind Brook’s “Something Rotten!” Blind Brook performed a mash-up of two “Something Rotten!” show-stopping numbers, “Welcome to the Renaissance” and “A Musical” before a cheering live audience composed of parents and students from Westchester, Rockland, Bergen, and Putnam counties. Our talented cast and crew proudly took home four Metro awards: Zach Dore received outstanding achievement in scenic design, Julian Silva received outstanding student technical achievement, Chloe Beal received outstanding performance in a supporting female-identified role, and Christina Colangelo received outstanding direction! Judging by the feedback from audience members and the Metro Awards alike, this show was anything but rotten!