APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Grab some snacks, take a seat, and get comfortable – local students and teachers recently brought out all the stops when they were celebrated in the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (P.A.C.) Center Stage High School Musical Theater Showcase.

The showcase was held at Thrivent Hall in the P.A.C. Saturday, May 7, 2022. Friends and family flowed through the doors to get to their seats and enjoy live performances and watch their loved ones get recognized for outstanding achievements.

During the school year, 24 high schools took part in the Center Stage High School Musical Theater Program that started in 2016 to support high school theater in northeast Wisconsin.

Local 5 covered multiple high school musical performances that students and school staff participated in this season – ranging from St. Francis Xavier High School’s production of Little Shop of Horrors to Kaukauna High School’s The Theory of Relativity.

These schools were also able to take part in multiple workshops at the P.A.C., some including Broadway actors and actresses from Wicked, Hadestown, and Mean Girls.

Now without further delay, here are the students and teachers recognized in the showcase:

  • Amelia Gibbons – Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress (Green Bay Southwest High School, junior)
  • Josh Thone – Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor (St. Francis Xavier High School, senior)
  • Wendy Bixby – Influential Theater Educator (Fox Valley Lutheran High School)

Both Gibbons and Thone will be representing the program at The Jimmy Awards National High School Musical Theatre Awards in June. The awards are more than just that, it’s a week-long theatre program that helps students through coaching, training, and rehearsing with Broadway’s accomplished performers.

Wendy Bixby is a director at Fox Valley Lutheran High School and was nominated by her peers and students as this season’s Influential Theater Educator. According to those close to her, she has transformed the theater program at the high school into one that is supported and engaged with the community and school.

To find all of the previous stories on what students were up to this season, click here.