The Pine Vally Central School Drama Club has been nominated for a Kenny Award for its art programs. Submitted photo

SOUTH DAYTON — Ahead of its 2022 musical, the Pine Valley Drama Club has already received recognition as one of the premier arts programs among public, private, and charter schools in Western New York.

For the first time in the school’s history, Pine Valley Junior-Senior High School’s April production of “Little Shop of Horrors” is among 17 high school productions from across Erie, Niagara, Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties to be nominated for the Kenny Awards, which aims “to recognize, reward, and encourage student talent and achievement in high school musical theatre productions.” The awards are sponsored by Shea’s Performing Arts Center and the Lipke Foundation.

To apply for the nomination, co-directors, junior-senior high school music teacher, Mary Kay Himes, and math teacher, Allison Mullin, attended information sessions provided by the program and sat down with program director Jen Mysliwy to discuss the club’s 2022 production, artistic vision, and the awards process earlier this school year.

“We were thrilled to be a part of the Kenny Awards, but we kept our plans to be involved a secret until after our production was cast,” Himes and Mullin said. “The kids were stunned when we shared the news with them at our first rehearsal.”

As part of the program, multiple adjudicators will view the participating student productions.

Evaluations are completed based on the information provided by the finalist programs during the application process and through the musical season. Directors will receive general feedback about their school’s production to help strengthen their program.

Students can be nominated in any of 17 categories including Outstanding Musical Production, Outstanding Leading Performance of Male Role or Female Role, Outstanding Dance Performance, and Outstanding Costume Design, among others.

The students involved are excited, the co-directors said. “The Kenny Awards program is a new experience for the Pine Valley Drama Club,” Himes and Mullin said. “Their excitement for this opportunity is overwhelming but also met with an equal amount of anticipation.”

To compete, the club has chosen a challenging musical. Based on the low-budget comedy film from 1960, “Little Shop of Horrors” follows a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. With music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the show has been regularly performed since premiering Off-Broadway in 1983.

“After last year’s production following a story of historical events and people, we decided this would be a perfect year for a comedy,” Himes and Mullin said, referencing last year’s show

“The Hello Girls” by Pete Mills and Cara Reichel, which follows the stories of the first women to join the U.S. Armed Forces during WWI as switchboard operators and their fight to make their way to the front lines.

“The drama club is full of strong vocalists, dancers, and actors, making a perfect cast of such a title,” they added “With such a talented and dedicated cast, we are well on our way to an incredible show. We are pushing the kids stylistically, musically, and physically. We have a unique vision for (Little Shop of Horrors) that we cannot wait to share with audiences.”

As faculty members at Pine Valley, Mullin and Himes have enjoyed helping students accomplish the many goals that come with putting on a school-wide musical production — and are grateful to have that work recognized regionally.

“Both of us have a very different daily experience at Pine Valley,” the directors said. “With Allison teaching math, the drama club allows her a chance to work with students in a way that she does not get to in the classroom. Mary Kay teaches chorus, so is accustomed to making music with our students. However, musical season allows her to work on new genres and vocal styles with our cast members. Despite our different backgrounds, we can both agree that our favorite part about co-directing the Drama Club is problem solving in creative ways with our cast and crew.”

Cast members include: Owen Ward, Melody Sunick, Mattison Cadle, Molly Sunick, Sydney Dahl, Brandon Yoris, Fred Roland. Darwin Westlund, Chloe Lachut, Autumn Ellis, Grace Pfleuger. Cassidy Vincent, Allyson Morey. Muriel Zollinger.Jesse Daniels.Madison Ebel, Arryanna Bardo. Hailey Errington. Alexis Giles, Destiny Lindquist, Kendra Schultz, and Julianna Yasurek.

Members of the stage, light, and sound crew include: Maggie King, Dale Bauer, Tyler Pfleuger, Garrett Chase. Katie King, Cole Sterling, Matt Rugg, Maddie Mosher, and Sara Sunick.

“Little Shop of Horrors” will be presented on April 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. in the junior-senior high school auditorium. Tickets will be sold entirely online through ticketleap.com at https://pinevalley-drama-club.ticketleap.com/little-shop-of-horrors/.