Students representing North Whitfield Middle School and Christian Family Theater received awards and recognition at the 2025 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta. The weekend dedicated to rewarding and celebrating excellent student-driven musical theater programs happened at the Cobb Convention Center in Atlanta.
At the festival, each group performed 15 minutes of a Broadway Junior musical for adjudicators.
North Whitfield Middle School received the Excellence in Music Award. North Whitfield Middle School’s Bo Owen and Blakely Nix made the Junior Theater Festival Performance All-Stars, a select group of outstanding performers. Blakely Nix and Kelsey King made it to the choreography callback for a special project promoting musical theater in schools.
North Whitfield Middle School presented Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach JR. to Jacob Brent, Broadway professor of Musical Theatre at Elon University (CATS) and Holly Stanfield, theatre educator.
Mr. Brent said, "This group effectively conveyed the story, delivering emotionally nuanced performances and demonstrating an understanding of theatrical storytelling."
Ms. Stanfield said, "From the first engaging pose to the last big moment, these talented young actors created the world of the story with amazing choreography, and bigger than life characterizations of these eclectic roles. This wonderful story was in very capable hands, thanks to this wonderful program. Congratulations on a dazzling performance."
The North Whitfield Middle School Theatre Department, The Pioneer Players, strives to provide a positive theatrical experience for students and families in the community. Its goal is to provide students the opportunity to experience theatre as performers, designers, backstage crew members, audience members and learners.
At 2024 JTF Atlanta NWMS won a Freddie G Excellence in Music Award. At 2023 JTF Atlanta, NWMS won both a Freddie G Excellence in Acting award and a Freddie G Excellence in Dance award.
In 2021, young performers from North Whitfield Middle School took part virtually in the JTF Online Edition and were awarded a Freddie G Excellence in Music award. At 2024 JTF Atlanta Kinsley Whaley and Bentley Roach were chosen as Junior Theater Festival Performance All-Stars.
Students Avery Moore (2023 JTF Atlanta) and Blakely Nix (2024, 2022 JTF Atlanta) made it to the callback for future special projects or video shoots for “how-to” choreography videos.
Christian Family Theater received the Excellence in Dance Award. Off Broadway Children's Theatre’s Jillian Byrne and Vayda Jane DiCaprio made the Junior Theater Festival Performance All-Stars, a select group of outstanding performers. Conor McCraw made it to the choreography callback for a special project promoting musical theater in schools.
Christian Family Theater presented Something Rotten JR. to Kenny Shepard, assistant teaching professor, Theatre and Dance, Ball State University, resident choreographer of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, and choreographer of Michael Feinstein's Songbook Academy Concerts; and Rosemary Newcott, Alliance Theatre artistic director of Theatre for Youth & Families (20 years), Princess Grace Foundation recipient and director of the premiere performance of Tim McDonald’s Hans Christian Anderson.
Mr. Shepard said, "This group had lovely vocals and terrific ensemble work. Lillian Byrne as Ursula was so impressive and supported by a bevy of ensemble tentacles. Sara Cole as Ariel gave a strong strong performance, and Eric was so supportive. She's In Love was outstanding. There was a strong attention to powerful staging and characterization."
Ms. Newcott said, “Off Broadway Children's Theatre did a fantastic job with The Little Mermaid JR. It was so refreshing and encouraging to see this smart cast, each of whom were invested, enthusiastic, and skilled as both performers and storytellers. A highlight of the day was learning that Lillian Byrne who played Ursula masterfully replaced someone who couldn't perform. This is a testimony to the training she and so many others are getting. She was confident, prepared and simply wonderful! The adjudicators were so impressed with Conor McGraw as Sebastian. His vocal tone, enunciation and projection were so memorable, which shows what valuable training he and the rest of the group are getting! Likewise, Sara Cole as Ariel was able to handle a wide vocal range. This young vocalist sang through different registers in her voice just like a seasoned professional would."
Christian Family Theater is a non-profit family friendly theater group training children and teens in the theatrical arts while also providing quality performance opportunities.
2022 marked the group's first trip to the Junior Theater Festival, where Skylan Sapere received a Student Choreographer Award.
At 2024 JTF Atlanta the group received Excellence in Ensemble Work Award, Maxwell Stoll and Rhett Brown were chosen for the Performance All-Stars.
Called a “rousing celebration of theatre” by The New York Times, the Junior Theater Festival applauds and empowers young people and educators creating student-driven musical theater around the globe.
The 2025 JTF Atlanta was a weekend of singing, dancing, acting and learning. There were 136 groups from 30 states, as well as Washington DC, Canada, the United Kingdom, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand that participated in the festival.
Mainstage appearances included Sarah Jane Arnegger (AKA NYC), actor and teacher McKenna Michael Bisaha (HBO’s “Barry”), 2024 Jimmy Award–winner Damson Chola Jr., John Clay III (New York, New York), Frank DiLella (Host of NY1’s “On Stage”), Katy Geraghty (Into the Woods), actor Max Antonio Gonzalez (Cinderella), director Michael Herwitz (JOB), Cori Jaskier (Ratatouille the TikTok Musical), Taylor Iman Jones (Head Over Heels, Six), Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mykal Kilgore (Songs for a New World), composer Daniel Mertzlufft (Ratatouille the TikTok Musical), Grant Reynolds (Mamma Mia), Jasmine Amy Rogers (BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical), composer Rob Rokicki (The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical), actor and composer Jacob Ryan Smith (Relapse: A New Musical), and composer Deborah Wicks La Puma (She Persisted).
This year’s educators of note included Bernie Baldassaro (Performer, The Book of Mormon), Michael J. Bobbitt (Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council), Paul Brewster McGinley (former Director of Teaching & Learning at Roundabout), Khalia Davis (Producing Artistic Director, The Coterie Theatre), Niani Feelings (Choreographer and Performer), Nichole Forde (Performer), Beau Harmon (Performer and Choreographer), Fernell Hogan (Performer, Kimberly Akimbo), Tom Jackson Greaves (Choreographer), Dr. Jennifer Katona (Executive Director, Educational Theatre Association), Bob Lenzi (Performer, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), Kelly Lomonte (Performer), Kelby McIntyre Martinez (Associate Dean for Arts Education and Community Engagement, University of Utah College of Fine Arts), Nina Meehan (Founder/Artistic Director, Bay Area Children’s Theatre), Ernie Nolan (Artistic Director, Unicorn Theatre), Cindy Ripley (Senior Advisor, Education at iTheatrics), Shay Rodgers (Choreographer, iTheatrics), Lotte Wakeham (Artistic Director, Octagon Theatre Bolton), Court Watson (Theatrical Designer), and Cameron Williams (Artistic Coordinator, Alabama Shakespeare Festival). These educators served as adjudicators throughout the weekend.
Groups enjoyed a New Works Showcase of performance selections from upcoming Broadway Junior musicals presented by JTF groups, and other mainstage performances featuring powerhouse Broadway guests and took part in workshops.