Every year, we acknowledge the dedication of talented Youth Education program participants. Announcing the Youth Initiative Awards and Youth Achievement Award for 2014-2015. Congratulations to all four recipients!
The winners of this year’s youth awards are:
Youth Initiative Awards
The Youth Initiative Award is a special award given to an RLT Teaching Assistant in recognition of his or her dedication to the art of teaching Theatre. Their love of and respect for theatre is so contagious that they not only inspire the students in their care but the teachers they assist as well.
Youth Achievement Award
The Youth Achievement Award is the highest awarded honor a member of the Youth Program at RLT can receive. It is contingent upon a participant’s dedication to the theatre, school and community, their dedication to service, and their persevering pursuit of knowledge in the theatre arts at RLT.
The video below was presented at the Cantey Awards and includes the four Youth Award winners.
Youth Initiative Award: Aubrey Clyburn
This recipient of the Youth Initiative Award has been a teaching assistant for RLT for the past two years. She has also shared her acting abilities in RLT’s productions of Animal Farm, Pinocchio, Fiddler on the Roof, Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and will appear in Runaways this summer.
At Enloe High School, she is in the Chamber Choir, National Honor Society, FCE Board Member, active in the Drama Club and a member of ITS (International Thespian Society). On most shows at Enloe you can also find her on the costume crew often serving as the crew chief.
Outside of Enloe and RLT, she participated in A Christmas Carol, is a member of her church’s Chancel Choir, Participant in the Appalachian Service Project, a Youth volunteer with VBS and a mentor with Seeds of Hope Homework Club.
Her other awards include:
- Winner of Burning Coal’s Middle School KidsWrite competition.
- Semifinalist for Hal Leonard Musical Theatre Contest
- Nominee for RLT’s Cantey Award for cameo role as Grandma Tzeidel in Fiddler on the Roof.
This Youth Initiative Award goes to Aubrey Clyburn.
Her value as a TA is eloquently described in this email from Renee Wimberley:
This year, the RLT Players-to-Go team presented Rutherford Wolf at the Wake County regional libraries. Having led this crazy bunch of 10-13 year olds for the past five years, I have always been blessed with amazing TA’a and this year was no exception.
Aubrey Clyburn stepped in on Day 1 ready to lead warm-up games, wrangle check-in and out and clearly established herself as the co-leader of the team. The kids adored her and I loved watching her young teacher-brain sort through which games were appropriate for what the kids needed at the time. When the littles were riled up before rehearsal or a show, she instinctively knew which activities to pull from her already pretty impressive bag of tricks. The students, families, and I all respected and trusted her.
Because of her leadership, initiative, and rapport with the students, I invited Aubrey to serve as a student intern and performer in Seed Art Share’s co-production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Rose Garden. As one of our teen “Sprite Captains”, her responsibility was to perform while also mentoring and encouraging her assigned group of little sprites. Again, she played theatre games with them, shepherded them on and off stage, and helped them get ready – all the while managing her own entrances and exits. As mom or two of the little ones, I am so grateful for her help making this a safe and magical learning experience for the kids – even if my little girls won’t stop singing “Princess Pat” after bedtime…
Thank you again, Aubrey, for what you have meant to me personally as a teacher, producer, and a parent. You have what it takes and I look forward to working with you again!
Youth Initiative Award: Reid Sinnott-Nadasky
This recipient of the Youth Initiative Award has been involved with RLT as a student for many years and as a teaching assistant since 2009. He was a cast member for the Teens On Stage Conservatory’s productions of The Great Cross Country Race and Animal Farm and four Storytellers to Go! productions.
He was very involved in theatre in both middle and high school where he was a member of the drama club and chorus. He was also on his high school cross country team and served as team manager.
He has been active in community service volunteering at Horse and Buddy since 2011 helping children with disabilities. He plans on majoring in Theatre Arts with a concentration in drama education. He will attend Wake Tech this Fall and will transfer to UNCA, App State or UNCG.
The recipient is Reid Sinnott-Nadasky.
Tribute from Judy Dove:
I first had the privilege of working with Reid Nadasky four years ago. I had cast him in the role of “Blackbeard” in my first Storytellers to Go! play, a role which he really brought to life, and he has since dedicated pretty much four years’ worth of Saturdays to bringing storytelling and the joy of reading to kids throughout Wake County. Reid has a talent for balancing professionalism with fun. He is always on-task, on time, off-book, in character, and ready to help in any way. I could always rely on him to be at not only every performance, but at the extra ones that popped up as the Storytellers started getting more invitations. Reid has been a pillar in our performance troupe, serving as co-Teaching Assistant much of the time in addition to his acting responsibilities, and playing such diverse roles as Blackbeard, the crazy Mountain Traveler in “Jack Tales”, The North Wind, the historically-based John Reid, and a well-meaning substitute teacher. I cannot imagine a Storytellers performance without him, and I will truly miss him.
Youth Achievement Award: Maya Hamer
This recipient of the Youth Achievement Award has been a part of RLT since 2009.
She has brought her acting talents to three Teens on Stage Conservatory productions; East of the Sun, West of the Moon, Animal Farm and Fiddler on the Roof and this summer she will appear in Runaways. She also performed in RLT’s production of Mirandy and Brother Wind. She was recently seen in Cary Players production of Legally Blonde.
She just graduated from Enloe High School and will enter the University of North Carolina at Greensboro this Fall to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a double minor in film making and business marketing.
At Enloe she participated quite actively in productions. She was also a member of the International Thespians Society, the Happy Accidents Improv Troupe and the Drama Club. Last year she was the Web Page Administrator and Designer for Enloe’s Theatre program.
This past year, she served as an intern for ARTSPLOSURE, helping to plan and coordinate activities and performances for First Night Raleigh.
This year at RLT, she took on the leadership role in organizing a teen ensemble, The RLT Kids On The Block. This group’s mission was to serve as ambassadors of theatre education as they go to afterschool programs to perform and speak to children about the benefits of theatre.
The recipient of the 2015 Youth Achievement Award is Maya Hamer
“Maya is a true leader. She leads by example. She has the courage to venture out of her comfort zone and that inspires others in the cast to push themselves a little harder, to try new things and to grow in their craft. Her enthusiasm is contagious. She makes you believe you can do anything and with Maya on your team you usually can.” — Linda O’Day Young
Youth Achievement Award: Alyssa Hartzheim
This recipient of the Youth Achievement Award has been a part of RLT since 2010 as a student and has been a teaching Assistant since 2011. She has been a part of Teens On Stage Conservatory productions of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, Animal Farm, Fiddler on the Roof and will appear in this summer’s production of Runaways as a member of the orchestra. She has been a valuable member of Storytellers to Go! for four years.
She recently graduated from Fuquay High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society and involved in many extracurricular activities. She was also a member of the German Honor Society, the Art Honor Society and was President of the Key Club. As such, she logged over 75 community service hours. As a talented artist, she has participated in several art exhibits and programs around the local community. She also loves to play the guitar and will have the opportunity to display her talent in this summer’s production of Runaways.
The recipient of this year’s Youth Achievement Award is Alyssa Hartzheim.