Senior Ryan Kaufman was awarded the Casey Feldman Foundation Scholarship and freshman Bryn Bowyer received the Spirit Award
Stacey Marano, who wears many hats at Bordentown Regional High School, is a real treat.
Technical director and theater manager for the Bordentown Center for the Performing Arts, director of the International Thespian Society Troupe 6803, and advisor to the Bordentown Regional High School (BRHS) Theater Club and Stage Group, you name it, she wears it.
On May 21, she saw one of her students, BRHS senior Ryan Kaufman, awarded the 2023 Casey Feldman Foundation Scholarship during the Greater Philadelphia Cappie Awards Gala held at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Pennsylvania.
Kaufman has been performing and working with BRHS theater throughout her high school years. Starred in 12 productions.
“I enjoy performing with some of the most talented people I know, and I have room to step out of my comfort zone and be myself,” he said before the ceremony.
Casey A. Feldman is a 2006 graduate of Springfield High School in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. She was killed in a crosswalk in Ocean City, New Jersey, in July 2009 as she was about to enter her senior year at Fordham University, where she was studying journalism. major The Casey Feldman Foundation, established in memory of Casey, awards the Casey Feldman Foundation Scholarship to one senior student from a participating school in Greater Philadelphia. The principals of these schools may nominate one student for this award who they believe has the highest work ethic, demonstrates a high level of integrity, and supports others in need through community service and extracurricular activities.
Over the past six years, Kaufman has volunteered with various community organizations, including Soles4Souls, Knights of Columbus, Christ Church, Blessing Bag Brigade, Bordentown Elks, as well as volunteering with the Boy Scouts, Key Club, and Student Council.
He is an extremely active member of BRHS International Theater Society Troupe 6803, among many other school organizations. He recently appeared as Wayne in the PuffsCharlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryand pharaoh st Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cloak. The Burlington County Principals and Superintendents Association named Kaufman the 2023 Senior of the Year. He is currently ranked fifth in his graduating class and will attend the University of Central Florida in the fall to major in industrial engineering.
Kaufman, as well as members of the cast, crew and orchestra of a recent BRHS production Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cloak attended the Gala.
Their production of a musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cloak and the BRHS Cappies critics team was nominated for nine 2023 Greater Philadelphia Cappies Awards, honoring high school theater productions of the 2022-2023 season.
“I am so proud of the enthusiasm and hard work the students put into every production we do, and I am especially pleased to see their efforts recognized by the Greater Philadelphia Cappy for this musical,” said Morano. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cloak entirely sung, without dialogue, which presents a challenge for all involved. The students rose to the challenge and exceeded my expectations in every way.”
Kaufman said production Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cloak would not have been possible without the help of each participant.
“I’m glad I was able to take part in it because I helped bring it to life every moment I had,” he said. “It ended up being a great production that brought a smile to every audience we performed in front of.”
Also at the gala, freshman Bryn Bowyer received the 2023 Greater Philadelphia Cappies Spirit Award for BRHS, recognizing her leadership, positive attitude and spirit of teamwork throughout Joseph’s rehearsals and performances. She is the first BRGS student to receive the award.
Bowyer has been working with the BRHS theater club for a year, performing in a total of four productions.
“The main reason I keep coming back to the BRHS theater program is the community,” she said. “As I’m sure many have understood, the beginning of high school was confusing. So creating an outlet where people of all backgrounds, genders and races come together to support each other has given me a purpose here.
“But aside from sentimental reasons, I think the theater program is a very good space for me to improve my skills as an actress. It gave me the opportunity to learn from others and develop skills that were foreign to me before coming.”
Bowyer said she fell in love with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cloak.
“With his experimental song styles, each of which is a clever play on popular musical genres throughout history, I had a lot of freedom to perform creatively,” she said. “The same goes for the rest of the cast, every rehearsal was filled with enthusiasm and excitement, so you can imagine how excited we were for our actual performances.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say that closing our musical was one of the best moments of my freshman year. Everyone had an aura, a pure joy to be a part of such a wonderful show. My cast members worked really hard to attract Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cloak to life. And I can’t thank them enough for the experience they allowed me to take part in.”
BRHS Principal Rob Walder represented BRHS as the Cappies Award Presenter.
The Cappies is a national program that honors and celebrates high school theater achievement, culminating in an annual gala.
Members of the BRHS Cappies crit team included Kaufman along with first-year senior Olivia McGlone, second-year junior Aidan Brumley, two-year junior Amelie dela Cruz, first-year senior Defnenur Humus and junior Tyler Thalhauser, who has been performing for two years.
Marano said the team worked hard all year, attending area productions and acting as BRHS representatives for the Cappies program.
BRHS Theater has been participating in the Greater Philadelphia Area Cappies program since 2010.
“Our first participation in a musical was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Cloak, which was nominated for six awards,” said Marano. “Our lead actor, who played Joseph at the time, won the Greater Philadelphia Cappie Award for Best Vocalist in 2010…and today is a member of the Broadway cast of the Tony Award-nominated musical. & Juliet. We are so proud of our graduate, Nicholas Edwards.”
In 2012, Marano recalled that they were thrilled to win the Greater Philadelphia Cappie Award for Outstanding Musical for their production Legal blonde.
“This show received 14 nominations, the most we’ve ever received,” she said, noting they won five awards that year.
This year’s Gala placed second with nine nominations.
Senior Jake Sfrago was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Joseph. He has been performing in the show since the age of 7, performing in a total of 31 shows.
Kaufman and McGlone received the first-ever BRHS nomination for Outstanding Marketing and Advertising for their creative efforts in advertising the BRHS 2023 musical.
Senior Sonali Prabhu was nominated for Outstanding Sound for her work on Joseph. She has been working with productions for two years.
McGlone was nominated for Best Female Solo Dancer for her role as Mrs. Potiphar in Joseph. She was also honored with the nomination “Outstanding critic of class 12”.
Bramley was nominated for Outstanding 11th Grade Critic for his work with the Bordentown Cappies Critic Team.
Bowyer was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in Joseph, along with a 2023 Greater Philadelphia Cappies Spirit Award.
The BRHS pit orchestra received a nomination in the “Outstanding Orchestra” category.
“Over the years we’ve been involved with the Cappie program, it’s been so rewarding to see Bordentown students recognized for their love of theater through nominations and awards,” Morano said.
“Even better, our students had the opportunity to see other high school productions and meet and talk with people they may never have met otherwise. Theater is an opportunity to see the world through the eyes of another person. What better preparation for life after high school than that?”
