Emmaus High School Lands 4 Freddy Award Nominations

Emmaus High School's "Legally Blonde" secures four Freddy Award nominations, including for Outstanding Featured Performance by an Actress and Outstanding Featured Performance by an Actress.

Emmaus High School's production of "Legally Blonde" is nominated for four Freddy Awards, including Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role and Outstanding Featured Performance by an Actress. The nominations were announced live Thursday on WFMZ, Channel 69. The nominations are as follows: The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on WFMZ from the State Theatre in Easton beginning at 7 p.m. May 23.

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East Penn School District

An Emmaus High Student's View of the Freddys

Patch contributor and Emmaus High School junior Chrissy Cilento reflects on the Freddy Awards.

Editor's Note: Periodic Patch contributor Chrissy Cilento takes off her news writer's hat to offer her personal thoughts on what it is like to "go to the Freddys." Special to Emmaus Patch By Chrissy Cilento, Emmaus High School Junior With the 10th annual Freddy Awards having come and gone, I can officially say that the high school musical theater “season” is over. On Thursday night, hundreds of performers, stage hands, directors, and parents crowded into the State Theatre in Easton to see who would take home the coveted glass Freddy awards in 22 different categories. I, along with everyone else involved in Emmaus High School’s production of "Guys and Dolls," was present at the awards, but we didn’t come with the goal of sweeping the table…

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Freddy Awards Mark 10 Years at State Theatre

Bethlehem's Freedom High School is the evening's big winner, with six awards, including Outstanding Production of a Musical.

The 2012 Freddy Awards were both about the present and the past. As they have for the last 10 years, the awards recognize the best in local high school theater, with hundreds of performers packed into Easton's State Theatre to be honored for their acting, singing, dancing and stagecraft. But the awards also looked back on the Freddys of the past, with a closing production number performed in part by previous winners, and with an appearance by a pair of documentary filmmakers who'd chronicled last year's awards. The evening's big winner was Freedom High School in Bethlehem, which was up for 17 nominations this year, and took home six awards for its production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie," including the top prize, Outstanding Production of …

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Emmaus High Competes in 10th Annual Freddys Tonight

Emmaus High School garnered 12 Freddy Award nominations for this year's production of "Guys & Dolls."

Emmaus High School is one of 29 schools participating in the 10thth annual Freddy Awards tonight. The Freddys were created to honor top high school musicals. What was your favorite moment in this year's production of "Guys & Dolls?" Tell us in the comments. A report in The Examiner describes the Freddys as a combination of the hit TV show “Glee” and the Tony Awards, and calls tonight’s sold-out show in the State Theatre in Easton “perhaps the hottest ticket in the Lehigh Valley.” The EHS production of “Guys & Dolls” received 12 Freddy nominations, including Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical. Last year, EHS was nominated for 16 Freddys for its production of "Phantom of the Opera," and came home with one award. Check back on Lower …

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East Penn School District

12 Freddy Nominations for EHS's 'Guys & Dolls'

Among the nominations announced by WFMZ Channel-69 was the big one: Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical.

The Emmaus High School production of "Guys & Dolls" has garnered 12 Freddy nominations today as announced on WFMZ's noon broadcast. Among them is the nomination for Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical, but there were 11 others for choreography, crew, lighting and some individual performances. Mattea Pechter is nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Miss Adelaide. Zach Petrovich is nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his interpretation of Nathan Detroit. The nominations are as follows, in the order they were announced: * Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra * Outstanding Use of Costuming * Outstanding Performance by a Featured Male …

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Life in the Slow Lane

Freddy Awards Changed the Arts Landscape

Freddy tradition helped make high school ‘theater geeks’ cool.

Back in the early '90s, my husband and I watched his niece perform in her high school’s endless production of “Li’l Abner.” The 3¾-hour show strained familial bonds to the point where during intermission -- at the 2½-hour mark – Rick told me that he’d give his niece $50 if she promised to never be in another high school musical. Fast forward to 2008, when friends got us tickets to Emmaus High School’s version of “Les Misérables.” The musical was riveting. The production, set, voices, choreography and acting were way beyond what I’d expect from a high school. While credit for the quality of the shows rightly goes to the directors and students, the fact that so many more people look forward to the high school musical season is largely thanks…

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Rosemary B

4:45 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012

Agreed, Carol. Try being a Catholic High School with a really limited budget. Schools like Parkland spend more on renting their scenery alone then we do on 2 shows put together! For us, every nomination is considered a win!   more ›

State Theatre Announces Schools In Freddy Competition

Emmaus High School will participate with its production of "Guys and Dolls" in April.

Emmaus High School is among a record number of 30 schools that will be participating in the State Theatre's 2012 Freddy Awards, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The State Theatre on Wednesday released the list of participating schools, including for the first time, Nazareth High School. EHS will present its musical production, "Guys and Dolls," on April 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 at the high school, 500 Macungie Ave. The Freddy Awards recognizes accomplishments in the production and performance of musical theater in high schools in Lehigh and Northampton counties, as well as Warren County, N.J. In 2011, EHS students were nominated for 16 awards for its production of "Phantom of the Opera." A list of the participating schools…

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Freddy Winners Film Documentary For Oprah Network

Past thespians meet at State Theatre for shoot Friday.

They sat in a semi-circle of nine chairs with an audience of family members behind them. On stage, at the State Theatre in Easton Friday night, the TV cameras filmed and the bright lights shined. But there were no signs of stage fright. After all, these are performers. Come Sept. 8 at 9 p.m., when their documentary airs on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network, these students from Freedom, Parkland and Emmaus high schools will become MVPs. "Most Valuable Players," the documentary about the 2008 Freddy Awards that was shot entirely in the Lehigh Valley, will make its television debut. What will follow is what took place in the theater Friday: Students and teachers "reunited" for a discussion panel to relive their experience as they competed in the …

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Jenae Holtzhafer

7:49 am on Saturday, August 27, 2011

I have to agree with Bill. After following EHS for almost two months as they practiced, performed, and were then nominated for multiple Freddy awards for their production of "Phantom of the Opera," I can honestly say the students' sights were NOT set on winning. They were just so excited to have the opportunity to perform again, in the beautiful State Theatre, where everyone could join together …   more ›

Farewell, Phantom!

After shadowing the cast and crew of EHS’s “Phantom of the Opera” for the past two months, Patch says goodbye to the show with a surprising Freddy finale.

On Thursday night, I felt the “Phantom” journey come full-circle. It was bittersweet in many ways. I was surprised by the emotions I’ve felt through this process of following the EHS cast and crew through this drama-filled adventure. I’ll admit it; I felt disappointment after attending the Freddys with this group of kids who have become my friends. I was rooting hard for them, as I knew they deserved everything for which they had been nominated. With 16 Freddy nominations, the anticipation was high that they’d be coming home with at least a few "Freddys." However, they came home with just one. Since March, I’ve followed these amazing young adults through their trials and tribulations. I’ve seen costumes gone missing, vocal chords strained…

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Jenae Holtzhafer

11:59 pm on Monday, May 30, 2011

Thanks to everyone who commented on this. It's kind words like this that will encourage the students to be confident that they have, indeed, done an incredible job. One of their main goals was to please their audience. It seems they've accomplished as much. I know I'm already looking forward to next year's performances!   more ›