Nominees for Prime Stage Theatre’s 6th Annual High School Drama Awards were announced Wednesday, with students from Deer Lakes, Springdale, Fox Chapel Area and Shady Side Academy in the running for top honors.
Leading the pack are Fox Chapel Area and Shady Side Academy with eight nominations each, followed by Springdale Junior-Senior High School with five and Deer Lakes with two.
“Deer Lakes drama productions are largely student-run, and our students always impress audiences with their talent and effort to make every part of each show run smoothly,” district drama Director Matt Derby said. “It takes great behind-the-scenes collaboration, communication, and student-to-student mentorship to make every performance special.”
The awards honor excellence in nonmusical plays by student actors, directors and production crew.
They are scheduled for Jan. 10 at Hillman Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Shady Side Academy in Fox Chapel. The evening features short scenes from several of the nominated productions.
Prime Stage Drama Awards Director John Dolphin said students must be in a backstage leadership role or onstage performance role for the production to be considered.
“We encourage adult mentorship and assistance, but, in the end, these productions are student-run,” he said.
Kristiann Josephs, director of Fox Chapel Area High School’s fall play, said the school community is proud of the hard work and dedication from the cast of the 2025 production, “Our Town.”
“Their work did not go unnoticed, not just by the judges, but by me and our props/costume director, Mary Beth Dixon, and our technical director, Joe Gass,” Josephs said. “This cast had grit, dedication and determination to make sure this piece held true to the text and to the overall feeling of this seemingly simple, but not so simple, play.”
Josephs said the students understood the importance of “this beautiful work,” and she knew they would shine as soon as the curtain was drawn.
At Shady Side Academy, performing arts chair Dek Ingraham said he’s proud of the production of “Big Love” and the students who worked to bring it to life.
“This show asked a lot of our cast and crew, and they threw themselves into it with so much heart, humor and grit,” Ingraham said. “I’m grateful for the recognition given to our students with these nominations, but what excites me most is being part of a larger community of high school theater-makers.”
The Prime Stage Drama Awards remind Ingraham how much great work is happening in schools across the region, he said.
“Hundreds of students are building sets after class, trying new ideas in rehearsal, supporting each other backstage and discovering what they’re capable of,” he said. “That’s the part that matters. And to be part of that is both thrilling and humbling.”
Since its founding in 1996, Prime Stage Theatre has presented more than 110 plays that introduce student and family audiences to classic and contemporary works of world literature.
Wayne Brinda, producing artistic director, said the High School Drama Awards is their way of looking to the future.
“By encouraging these young actors and technical specialists in their early efforts, we’re building a strong foundation for Pittsburgh theater in years to come,” Brinda said.
