News of Note

Non-profit Snellville Performing Arts earned recognition at the 2023 International Junior Theatre Festival. This monumental weekend dedicated to celebrating excelling musical theatre programming happened Jan. 13-15 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.

At the festival each group performed a 15-minute cut of their Broadway Junior musical. Snellville Performing Arts presented Once on this Island, Jr for hundreds of their peers, as well as industry-professional adjudicators Kenny Shepard (Choreographer - Broadway Junior, Disney), Lotte Wakeham (Director – The Book Thief, Associate Director - Matilda, West End), and Daniel J. Yearwood (Hamilton, Once on this Island [2017 Revival]).

For its performance, Snellville Performing Arts earned the AllFestival Inspiration Award, which honors a group that inspires and touches the hearts of their adjudicators through performance.

SPA’s Director Stephanie McDonald, said of the award, “it means so much to us – theatre should inspire and evoke emotion and to be recognized specifically for doing this with young people is incredible.”

Out of 125 groups and over 6,500 attendees, five student choreographers from SPA, led by 17 year old Joy Woods, went toe-to-toe with professionals from all over the world. Their hard work paid off and they earned an award for their choreography that was recognized for showcasing styles from a variety of cultures connected to the story.

Finally, out of over 200 directors, Executive Director and Snellville native, Stephanie McDonald, was one of only three invited to join the prestigious Freddie G Fellowship honoring directors who create truly inspiring and exceptional work. Recipients will join iTheatrics and Music Theatre International in NYC this summer to work with industry-leading professionals, see shows, and bring back lessons and skills for their organizations.

Beaming with pride, McDonald said of her students and program, “hearing our name called out, seeing the kids jumping out of their seats cheering, and knowing that our performers are inspiring others is honestly a dream come true.” She’s not the only one who feels strongly about Snellville Performing Arts’ work.

Regarding their performance, adjudicator Lottie Wakeham said, “the storytelling had such weight and lovely detail. The depth of emotion that you were committing to as young artists was so impressive”. Kenny Shepard commented, “I loved the style of the choreography; it was such a privilege to see how your research and hard work came together to create this show”. Daniel J. Yearwood exclaimed, “I am overwhelmed! You are all incredible; I was moved to tears to see this done in such an immaculate way and I hope you’re incredibly proud of yourselves.”

Snellville Performing Arts continues its excellence this Spring with their Junior Company production of Finding Nemo in April and Senior Company production of Newsies in May. They also have acting classes for ages 4-18 and dance for ages 3-18, as well as workshops and other community events throughout the year.

For more information about auditions, shows, classes, events, or how you can help support this non-profit arts program, visit the Snellville Performing Arts website at www.snellvilleperformingarts.com.

If there’s a light on your street that has blown out who can you call to fix the problem? Call Walton EMC to report a broken street light.

Walton EMC not only provides power to many in Snellville, but it is also in charge of maintaining and erecting street lights on city streets. Many residents believe the city maintains street lights, but that is not so. It is up to a resident to call Walton EMC.

Residents are best suited to report street light outages to Walton EMC. When you call to report a street light outage, include the closest address.

If your street light is out or you want to speak to someone about adding one to a darkly lit area, call 770-972-2917 or visit www.waltonemc.com/contact.

Residents may want to tie a ribbon to the pole to alert technician as they cannot see which lights have burned out during the day.