Students honored at MACY ceremony

Tom Titus

Broadway gave out its Tony awards last week, and some potential

future Tony winners also were honored the preceding Sunday, courtesy

of a Laguna Beach couple who have been spearheading achievement

recognition for young performers and musicians for more than three

decades.

Two dozen high school performing arts groups competed for the MACY

prizes in the ceremony, organized in 1971 by Lagunans Lee and John

Childress, who were accorded a standing ovation at the recent event.

Laguna Beach High School’s production of “Footloose” picked up a

baker’s dozen awards at the 33rd annual MACY (Music and Arts

Commendation for Youth) ceremony.

“Footloose,” directed by Mark Dressler, was Laguna High’s annual

musical production and one of 19 musicals to be excerpted at the MACY

awards show, which packed Fullerton’s Plummer Auditorium.

Highest achievement accolades went to the school’s orchestra,

ensemble and actor Nathan Greene. Honored for outstanding achievement

were Rachel Alcone, Alex Bodrero and Isiah Powell.

Rounding out the award winners were Becky Johnson and Marisa

Reisman for achievement, David Bennett, Laura Fryer, Alex Murrel and

Elizabeth Retzlaff for special recognition and Danielle Hooser,

winner of a “bright spot” award.

The MACY awards show is “a celebration of the talent, hard work,

dedication, energy and boundless enthusiasm of everyone who has

participated in the wonderful musical theater productions of our

schools,” the Childresses stated.

Lee and John Childress actually founded the MACY awards in Los

Angeles to honor students from LA high schools. When they moved to

Laguna a few years later, they continued their efforts on behalf of

Orange County young people.

Participating schools, in addition to Laguna High, were the

Academy for the Performing Arts programs in Huntington Beach and

Fullerton, along with high school musical theater students from Aliso

Niguel, Canyon, Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, Dana Hills,

Diamond Bar, El Dorado, El Toro, Esperanza, Estancia, Irvine, Mater

Dei, Mission Viejo, Newport Harbor, Rancho Buena Vista, San Clemente,

Tri-School, University, Valley, Vista and Woodbridge.

In a rare occurrence, the ceremony’s top award, the MACY, was

captured in a tie by two schools producing the same musical, “Les

Miserables.” Both Dana Hills High School and Aliso Niguel High School

hit the jackpot with their productions in the first year in which

“Les Miz” was available to non-professional groups.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Coastline Pilot.