Sag Harbor Students Win Big at 14th Annual Teeny Awards

[caption id="attachment_51925" align="alignnone" width="800"] (Left to right) Anna Francesca Schiavoni, Denis Hartnett, Matthew Schiavoni, Rilley Roe Schombs and Michelle Rinaldi celebrate at the 14th Annual Teeny Awards.
Credit: Paula Brannon photo.[/caption]

Pierson High School students were honored for their work on, and behind, the stage at the 14^th Annual Teeny Awards, held by East End Arts at the Shoreham-Wading River High School on Sunday, June 5.

The awards ceremony, an East End tradition since 2002, kicked off with a formal red carpet for nominees before audience members were treated to scenes from some of the 16 participating high schools’ in the region. Pierson High School students performed “Agony” from “Into the Woods,” while students from the Ross School showcased “Thank You So Much for Stopping” from its One Act Play Event.

Locally, Pierson’s Denis Hartnett was awarded the Lead Male in a Musical prize for his portrayal of The Baker in “Into the Woods.” He was joined by Anna Francesca Schiavoni who earned Supporting Female in a Musical honors for Little Red in “Into the Woods.” Matthew Schiavoni was also honored with a Supporting Male in a Musical award for his role as Cinderella’s Prince in “Into the Woods.”

In the straight drama categories, Reilly Rose Schombs took home the Lead Female in a Play prize for Aunt Abby in “Arsenic & Old Lace” at Pierson. Behind the scenes, Michelle Rinaldi earned an award for Original Playbill and Poster Design for “Into the Woods.”

Meg Atkinson-Barnes, Courtney Kinsella and Kerrie Vila were also recognized as a student stage manager for Pierson’s Arsenic & Old Lace,” as was Christen Heine for her work as stage manager on “Into the Woods.” Nadzia Kempski, of the Ross School also earned recognition as a student stage manager for her work in “One Acts,” as did fellow Ross students Shuyu (Bella) Pan and Johnny Xu for “Chicago.”

Pierson’s Paul Anderson was awarded a Teeny for lighting design for “Into the Woods” and “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Ella Knibb earned a prize for assistant director of “Into the Woods” with the Ross School’s Katie Morgan being recognized in the same category for her work on “So Tell Me About This Guy.”

“I was so nervous about meeting expectations after the incredible surprises at the ceremony last year (thank you Rob Hinderliter – a Tony Award winner and Teeny Awards alum!), but we were able to feature more students than ever before in the ceremony which was so entertaining and special,” said Anita Boyer, the East End Arts Teeny Awards Coordinator. “We had over 40 students from more than 10 different schools involved in the opening number, six schools that brought numbers from their productions, and we had Rob Hinderliter in the flesh as our incredible host! As always I want to extend my deep gratitude for the talented and hard-working crew that make the Teeny Awards possible each year and to the students for continuing to dedicate themselves to their craft. And as we sang in the opening number, ‘We are the East End Arts Teeny Awards, and there are a million kids to honor yet! Just you wait, just you wait!’”

For a full list of nominees and winners, visit eastendarts.org.