Hoboken Public School District Wins Big at the Speech & Theatre Association of New Jersey’s Governor’s Awards in Arts Education Theatre Competition at MSU
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Contact Information:
Hoboken Public School District
Christopher Munoz
201-356-3738/201-978-2164
[email protected]
RELEASE DATE: Saturday, January 6, 2024
Hoboken Public School District Wins Big at the Speech & Theatre Association of New Jersey’s Governor’s Awards in Arts Education Theatre Competition at MSU
Hoboken, NJ, - Saturday, January 6th, the Hoboken Middle and High School Thespian Competition Teams attended the Speech & Theatre Association of New Jersey's Governor's Awards in Arts Education Theatre Competition held at Montclair State University. 34 schools with over 750 students participated in the competition.
At the Speech & Theatre Association of New Jersey’s Governor’s Award in Arts Education Theatre Competition, Hoboken students also participated in workshops to hone their craft in the following areas: stage combat; college BFA program audition techniques; Shakespearean acting; musical theatre; jazz dance; musical theatre tap dance; and, improvisation and technical theatre techniques. These workshops were taught by Montclair State University’s college professors and a team of professional actors.
The 46 Hoboken High School and Middle School thespians who competed have been working diligently and dedicated the past two months to perfecting their pieces which included comedic monologues, dramatic monologues, comedic pair, dramatic pair, scenes, improvisation, solo musical theatre, duet musical theatre, ensemble musical theatre, character analysis, and pantomime. Placing in the Top 10 out of the 200 entries is a distinct honor at this statewide competition.
Hoboken students won a district record of ten awards. Supervisor of Fine & Performing Arts, Danielle Miller said, “I would like to thank the entire Theatre Department for their time and dedication to our students. Mr. Derek Kinnear (High School Theatre Director), Mr. Patrick Benson (Middle School Theatre Director), and Ms. Gina Rotondi (Elementary School Theatre Director) inspire our students to express themselves in the most creative ways. Theatre is part of our core curricula in the Hoboken Public School District and it shows in the performances of our students.”
The following awards were won by Hoboken High School students:
First Place Comedic Pair and The Governor's Award in Arts Education: Kendall McDonough & Mable Blischke-Villavicencio
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First Place Character Analysis Monologue: Naomi Cooke
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First Place Musical Theatre Ensemble: Kendall McDonough, Naomi Cooke, Daniel Weintraub, Arcadio Torres, Lucas Daly, Gabriel Rivas, Miguel Cabelin, Mable Blischke-Villavicencio, Alana Rivas, Riddhi Damani, Halie Benway
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Hannah Morley, Tyler Mara, Kevin Melendez, Fern Rosario, Mara Reba
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2nd Place Dramatic Pairs: Halie Benway & Lucas Daly
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3rd Place Dramatic Pairs: Miguel Cabelin & Naomi Cooke
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5th Place Musical Theatre Pairs: Daniel Weintraub & Mable Blischke-Villavicencio
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Finalist Musical Theatre Pairs: Kendall McDonough & Kevin Melendez
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Finalist Musical Theatre Pairs: Arcadio Torres & Lucas Daly
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Finalist Musical Theatre Solo: Halie Benway
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Finalist Comedic Monologue: Riddhi Damani
Congratulations to the following students for their participation in the Speech & Theatre Association of New Jersey's Governor's Awards in Arts Education Theatre Competition held at Montclair State University:
Hoboken High School Thespians
Kendall McDonough
Naomi Cooke
Daniel Weintraub
Arcadio Torres
Anthony Barahona
Lucas Daly
Gabriel Rivas
Miguel Cabelin
Mable Blischke-Villavicencio
Alana Rivas
Riddhi Damani
Halie Benway
Shai Warsharshy
Sihana Alaj
Hannah Morley
Tyler Mara
Kevin Melendez
Emerson Blishke-Villavicencio
Fern Rosario
Isabel Holmberg
Mara Reba
Sophia Castiglione
Michelle Puharre
Gabriel Colon
Hoboken Middle School Junior Thespians
Stefan Jovanovski
Snow Cercone
Seneca Perry
Sam Leong
Saira Bindra
Molly Lamb
Mayla Gregory
Magnus Peterka
Jackson Kirsch
Elliot Cazadelez
Chris Melli
Annie Mahat
Krishay Chugh
Charlie Stropp
Bria Wong
Connor Marshall
Rebecca Wu
Ezra Horn
Pria Wolsky
Violetta Martin
Mallory Whitmore
Sihanna Garcia
Background:
About The Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey (STANJ): The Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey (STANJ) has been the voice of advocacy for the inclusion of speech and theatre arts in educational curricula since 1960. STANJ has implemented state and national advocacy strategies and helped to recognize, develop, and promote the importance of teacher certification in speech and theatre. The purpose of STANJ is to promote excellence in the study and teaching of communication and theatre arts, encouraging innovative methods of teaching speech and theatre. As an NJEA affiliate, the association includes volunteer members from K-12, college, and professional theatre who are passionate about theatre education. STANJ welcomes input from members to help foster growth and change. Professional members attend monthly PD workshops and presentations at the NJEA Convention. Student members may participate in the Governor’s Awards Theatre competition in the areas of Monologues(*), Scenes(*), Improvisation(*), Musical Theatre, Stage Management, VPA(*), Character Analysis, Pantomime, Shakespeare, Communication Media Arts, Best Play & Musical. First-place winners in (*) categories are honored with a Governor’s award at a ceremony held in Trenton. Two college theater scholarships are also offered.