Fresh off victories at the Georgia Theatre Conference, the cast of the Augusta Jr. Players’ production of “Sister Act” will take the stage at the Kroc Center.
“This is the first time the Augusta Jr. Players have had this opportunity,” said Roy Lewis, who directed the performance as well as getting the best director nod for the show that will be performed Nov. 4-6.
The show received first place as did Danielle Vergara for best choreography; Kelsey Johnson for best actress and Raleigh Koutalidis for best supporting actor. Also, the ensemble was named the best. The conference was held Oct. 12-15 in Kingsland, Ga.
The group performed in the community division. Several performers had the chance to meet with representatives from college theater programs, he said. Not only were there performances by a variety of theater troupe during the event, but there were workshops on a wide array of topics such as acting, stage combat, comedy and how to create marketing materials.
“The Georgia Theatre Conference embodies all aspects of theater,” said Lewis, who has served as an adjudicator for the conference.
For the competition, the show had to be pared down because of the one-hour time limit, but the full show will be staged this coming weekend.
Lewis said he was proud of his performers.
“Some of them have never been on stage before; some have never been to a festival,” he said. “They got to see so much and see it at a different level. It was a great teaching opportunity for them.”
The group will head to Kentucky in March for the regional conference, and Lewis said fundraisers will be held to help defray the costs.
“It’s exciting and nerve wracking,” said the long time public school teacher, who vowed he would not be washing any cars this go-round.
Performances of “Sister Act Jr.” will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 4, 3 and 7 p.m., Nov. 5 and 4 p.m. Nov. 6. Tickets are available at augustaplayers.org or by calling (706) 826-4707.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
