The Mount Pleasant High School presented Director and student voted awards at its annual banquet.

Three student voted awards were presented.  The Happy-Go-Lucky award goes to a student whose consistent positivity throughout class, rehearsals, and productions keeps everyone in high spirits. The theatre students chose Vanessa Vasquez to receive the award.

The Most Improved award goes to a student who has exhibited a significant amount of improvement from their skill level at the beginning of the year to their skill level at the end of the year. This year, the students voted Alex Rogers to receive this award.

The Theatre Court awards go to two students who have shown leadership throughout the year, overseeing the theatre troupe’s bonding throughout the year and encouraging each other to stay strong as a family, to keep supporting each other through thick and thin. These two students attend rehearsal regularly and have little to no attendance issues, meet deadlines consistently, and remain a positive influence on their peers. This year, our students voted Skylee Ford and Ja’Quacy Minter for the theatre court members.

MPHS Director of Theatre Arts Jace Sturgill presented four awards.

The Technician of the Year award goes to a student who has exhibited exemplary technical skills throughout the year. They consistently seek to grow as a technician and as a theatre practitioner, and they are regularly willing to help around the theatre at every opportunity.  This year’s award was presented to Alex Rogers.

The Golden Tiger award goes to a student whose heart is in the theatre. They care for every single one of their cast and crew mates, and constantly reinforce the feeling of family throughout the troupe. This year’s award went to Savannah Mack.

The

[i]MPPACT award is named after the Mount Pleasant Performing Arts Center Theatre, or MPPACT. This award goes to a student that impacts the theatre troupe with every rehearsal that they attend. They constantly strive to learn everything about the art of theatre, both tech and acting. They are willing to work every event and show that we host, they get excited at the opportunity to teach their peers new information, and they regularly work to improve the program (including the auditorium itself) in every way that they can. This year’s [i]MPPACT award was presented to Ja’Quacy Minter.

In presenting the final award, the Dr. Carrie L. Klypchak Award, Sturgill said “I’m not a huge fan of awards that have “best” in the title, so although in a sense I am giving a ‘best actor’ award, I chose to give an award to a student that has grown an outstanding amount throughout the year.”

Sturgill said he named the award in honor of his theatre professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce Dr. Carrie L. Klypchak because she is “the essence of acting itself”. She taught me “who I want to be as a director and as a person. She taught me that mistakes are nothing if not learning opportunities. She taught me to ‘get worked up’ when I am acting. She taught me that every single rehearsal builds the show. She taught me what it is to care deeply for art, and for my fellow theatre practitioners, and for my leadership staff.” The student receiving this award, Skylee Ford,  exemplifies those characteristics, he added.

Sturgill also announced the Tiger Theatre Department’s 2018-2019 Season. The season title is Clockwork and the theme Dystopian Steampunk.

The season will include “The Pied Piper of New Orleans” by Jeff Church, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, “HUSH: An Interview with America” by James Still and “Distance” by Jerre Dye. Dates of the shows will be announced in the fall.

Mount Pleasant Secondary Theatre Department Creative Team 2019 includes Technical Director: Jace Sturgill (Mount Pleasant High School Director of Theatre Arts), Acting Director: Crystal Francis-Peel (Mount Pleasant Junior High Theatre Director), Assistant Acting Director: Crystalla Anderson (Mount Pleasant Junior High Assistant Theatre Director), Assistant Director: Cody Morris (Mount Pleasant High School Speech/Debate Director) and Assistant Technical Director: Lea-Holli Hensley (Mount Pleasant High School Assistant Speech/Debate Coach).

Pictured Left to right: Alex Rogers, Skylee Ford, Ja’Quacy Minter, Savannah Mack, and Vanessa Vasquez