On Sunday, May 19th, many Yorba Linda high school students in the theatre department traveled to the Cerritos Center of the Performing Arts. These students watched and performed in “The Spirit of the MACY Awards.” The MACY stands for Music and Arts Commendation for Youth awards and celebrates hard work in the high school theatre world. The MACY directors and judges view many shows in Orange County and award over 500 medals, trophies, and thousands of dollars in scholarships at the annual awards ceremony. This year, the Yorba Linda High School theatre department received a great deal of awards and honor for their productions of Oklahoma! and Into the Woods.

Many students were recognized for their achievements in shows, starting with Sam Davis, Kaylie Lam, Cosette McCulloch, Aurlia Snyder, and Hailey Whitehurst for their various roles in Oklahoma! and Into the Woods. These students received the Bright Spot Award, which is given to performers in a non-lead role that create a lasting impression and stand out in the performance. Next, Aubrey Esparza, Jack Spillane, and Cosette McCulloch received the Achievement Award which is granted to performers who show excellence in a demanding role crucial to the performance. Jack Spillane who played Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma! at YLHS says, “I never expected to win an award in my first high school production!” (Jack Spillane 9). In addition, Marcus Deprat, Aubrey Esparza, Matthew Folkin, and Sarah Richey all received the Outstanding Achievement award for their roles in Into The Woods. The Outstanding Achievement Award is given to performers in lead/supporting roles who show outstanding vocal, dancing, and acting abilities. Finally, so many students received the Highest Achievement Award, given to only the top 10% of performers who perform well above the norm for high school theatre. These students include Griffin Davis, Matthew Folkin, Andrew Gardner, Leilah Huttner, Hayden Lee, Quinn Oeppinger, Katie Ruoo, Addy Shoup, and Nathan Song for their roles in Oklahoma! and Into The Woods.

In addition to these individual student achievements, some students in the theatre company received bigger awards as well. Hayden Lee, who played Laurey Williams in Oklahoma, took home a trophy for winning “Best Female Dancer of the Year.” Leilah Huttner, who played Ado Annie in Oklahoma, took home a trophy for winning “Best Comedic Actress of the Year.” Andrew Gardner, who played Will Parker in Oklahoma, took home a trophy for winning “Best Supporting Actor of the Year.” These students were overloaded with glee as they stood on the Cerritos Performing Arts Center Stage to accept their awards. Hayden Lee exclaims, “Winning best dancer of the year is a dream! I could not stop smiling the entire day” (Hayden Lee 12). Hayden, Leilah, Andrew, and Quinn were also all nominated for Best Actor/Actress of the Year at the MACY awards as well.

Oklahoma! the musical at YLHS also won it big at the awards ceremony, receiving the MACY award. This award is granted to the overall best show of the entire year. This is an amazing honor for the theatre program at Yorba Linda High School. Oklahoma! also won Best Choreography with a large Ensemble and the Performance of the Day award. Overall, the Spirit of the MACY Awards was a huge success for these Mustangs!