Penn Manor students earn National Youth Arts theater awards

Penn Manor students have won four National Youth Arts Awards for their work in theater productions at Penn Manor High School over the past year.

Senior Hailey Fafel won an award for outstanding lead performance in a musical for her role in “Mary Poppins,” which was presented last March.

In addition, Max Minnick, a 2018 graduate, won an award for outstanding supporting performance in a musical for his portrayal of George Banks, and the entire “Mary Poppins” cast was honored with an outstanding ensemble award.

Penn Manor sophomore Brianna Clow won an award for outstanding set design for “And Then There Were None,” presented last fall at the high school. In addition, several students were nominated for awards for their roles in the two productions. The students are:

“Mary Poppins” – Claudia Heitland (Mrs. Corry), Leilani Torres (Bird Woman and Miss Andrew), Kassidy Ponton (Winifred Banks), Garrison Webster (Bert), Brianna Clow (set design) and John Matusek (direction).

“And Then There Were None” – Claudia Heitland (Vera Claythorne), Max Minnick (Phillip Lombard), Caitlin Moser (Emily Brent) and Garrison Webster (Sir Lawrence Wargrave). In addition, the cast was nominated for an ensemble award.

During the Arts Awards competition, more than 600 productions spanning 17 states and the United Kingdom were considered for awards.

The awards ceremony was modeled after the TONYs, with awards and speeches mixed in with winning performances. It was held at Riverdale Theater in New York City August 19.

Congratulations to our talented Penn Manor students and directors!