Genesee Valley's "Seussical Jr." Honored by NYS Theatre Association

Genesee Valley's production of “Seussical Jr.” was recently recognized with multiple awards from the Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS). The production, held on August 28, received high praise from Joan Luther, a TANYS adjudicator, who attended the show and provided the cast and crew with a detailed review of their performance.

Award Highlights:

• Meritorious Achievement in Vocal Performance: Lena McNinch for her portrayal of Gertrude McFuzz.
• Meritorious Achievement in Acting: Ella Schoonover for her portrayal of Horton the Elephant.
• Excellence in Performance: Amelia Auman for her portrayal of Jojo.
• Excellence in Prop Moving: Cooper Young (Thing 1) and Lyla Hanchett (Thing 2).
• Outstanding Achievement in Ensemble Performance: The entire cast.
• Outstanding Achievement in Theater Education and Youth Development: Donna Slawson, Mandy Tawil, Caleb Durant, Nathan Slawson, Payton Werner, Harleigh Silsby, Jeremy Slawson, Ryan McMurray, Kylee Kear, Nancy George, and Jeff Babbitt.

Luther praised the production, saying, "Dr. Seuss’s characters came alive with Genesee Valley School District’s production of Seussical the Musical Jr. The students and directors created Whoville and a jungle and countless other places that generations of children have read about. The fast paced production included songs, dance and acting that kept the audience’s attention and was a delight to be a part of.”

Donna Slawson, director of Seussical, commented “these awards are a significant milestone in the growth of our drama program. Over the past few years, we have seen our program expand and flourish, leading to the exciting addition of a Junior production each summer, complementing our main production each spring”

The GVCS Drama Department is already planning for their next production, Descendants, scheduled for March 2025.

Slawson concluded, “I’d like to thank the Genesee Valley community and district for their continued support and encouragement. It’s their enthusiasm that helps drive our program’s success and fosters such incredible opportunities for our students.”