Pegasus Production Company Takes Home Two Basie Awards
June 1, 2018
Michael Guarino ’18 performs with the cast of Pegasus at the 2018 Basie Awards. (Photo courtesy of the Count Basie Theater.)
After two popular shows this school year, the students of Christian Brothers Academy’s Pegasus Production Company received two award wins among their outstanding 13 nominations in the 13th Annual Basie Awards, as announced by the Count Basie Theater last week.
The Basie Awards strive to honor and recognize high school-level actors, actresses and production companies in the Monmouth County area. The wins were for the spring musical Fiddler on the Roof and nominations received were for various aspects of both the fall comedy Don’t Drink the Water and Fiddler. The cast of Fiddler was nominated for “Outstanding Musical Production,” which enabled the students to give a special performance at the awards ceremony.
Senior Michael Guarino won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance of Teyve in Fiddler. The entire company won the Basie for Outstanding Musical Direction.
“This is such a huge step forward for our company. The students put their heart and soul into these productions because they are proud of who they are and what they can do,” said Pegasus director Mr. Marcos Orozco. “The outside recognition of 13 nominations and, ultimately, two awards reaffirms their passion and commitment to the company and performing arts. I am especially proud of Michael for his well-deserved award. I have had the pleasure of working with him for all four years and his growth has been exceptional. His final performance brought the sold out crowd to their feet and I was so happy to see get the recognition he had earned.”
The total list of nominations included:
- Outstanding Set Design in a Drama
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama – Chris Coleman
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama – Stephen Weihs
- Outstanding Lighting Design in a Musical
- Outstanding Costume Design in a Musical
- Outstanding Musical Direction
- Outstanding Choreography
- Outstanding Student/Adult Orchestra
- Outstanding Chorus
- Outstanding Featured Ensemble Group – The Bottle Dancers
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical – Michael Guarino – winner
- Outstanding Direction in a Musical – winner
- Outstanding Musical Production
Pegasus’ incredible year was recognized from everyone around the CBA community, including legendary retired basketball coach and teacher, Mr. Ed Wicelinski.
“In the 46 or so years I have been blessed to be associated with CBA, there are so many times I would love to have been holding a sign that says ‘yeah, I am with them!’ The Basie Awards was another one of those pride filled moments,” Wicelinski said. “The performance by Pegasus [at the awards show] was amazing and watching an audience of competitors respond to them with a standing ovation screams of the success the company achieved.”
These Basie nominations come on the heels of a Rising Star nomination from the Paper Mill Playhouse for “Outstanding Student Achievement” by the Pegasus’ student public relations staff and a Rising Star Honorable Mention for senior Michael Guarino’s performance in Fiddler.
The nominations for both shows conclude a spectacular year for Pegasus. In November, the company broke its attendance record during the run of DDTW. During the spring musical, Pegasus hosted its first-ever alumni night for its ever-growing and passionate alumni base.
About Pegasus Productions Company
The Pegasus Production Company has a place for every type of student. Experienced actors, and those who have never been on stage, are welcome to tryout for any part in our productions. Females from the surrounding local high schools are encouraged to join the Company for a unique opportunity to be part of Christian Brothers Academy. Some aspect of the Company meets every day after school in the Henderson Theater, but your involvement can be as little or as much as you wish. Visit a rehearsal or email Mr. Orozco at morozco@cbalincroftnj.org for more information.
Follow Pegasus on social media for continued updates and announcements about the summer season. More information about Pegasus Production Company can be found on the CBA website and on the official Pegasus social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.