Huntington Drama Club Claims Four Hunting-Tony Awards
June 8, 2023
The Huntington High School drama club captured four Hunting-Tony Awards earlier this week. The actors and stagehands went toe-to-toe with their counterparts from around town and won honors for Best Technical Production for a Play, Best Stage Crew for a Play, Best Play and Best Actor in a Play.
Hunting-Tony Awards judges were in attendance at every high school drama club production in the town over the past year, forming the basis for the nominations and the ultimate honors in each category.
Huntington garnered 10 separate Hunting-Tony Award nominations, but the competition was fierce. The awards show was held in Huntington High School’s cavernous auditorium.
Along with their counterparts from across the town, Huntington actors and stagehands walked the red carpet outside the building prior to the show. The group included veteran drama club faculty advisor Michael Schwendemann.
“The casts of ‘Almost, Maine’ and ‘Seussical’ working in conjunction with the stage crew and the pit orchestra prove the old adage ‘there is no ‘I’ in teamwork.’ All involved working seamlessly as an ensemble,” Mr. Schwendemann said. “It was wonderful to see the cast of ‘Almost, Maine’ rewarded for all their hard work by receiving the Hunting-Tony Award for Best Play as well as the stage crew receiving two awards for Best Stage Crew and Best Technical Production also for ‘Almost, Maine.’”
Huntington High School’s acting royalty turned out in full force for the evening, which featured a well-deserved buzz for the talented teenagers, who came dressed in gorgeous outfits.
“Kudos to Dylan Brinn for being named Best Actor in Play and bringing his tenure as a member of the Huntington High School drama club to an illustrious end,” Mr. Schwendemann said. “He will be missed, but it’s on to bigger and better things as he will be off to college in the fall.”
Mr. Brinn is headed to SUNY New Paltz in the fall to study for a career as an English teacher. He credits his success to the “amazing support” he’s received from his family, friends and “awesome” teachers. He said their collective encouragement has helped him “immensely.”
Huntington’s nominees in the drama category included: Best Play: Huntington High School: “Almost, Maine” Best Ensemble in a Play: Huntington High School: “Almost, Maine” Best Lead Actress in a Play: Sofia Rodriguez Best Lead Actor in a Play: Dylan Brinn Best Supporting Actress in a Play: Landry Flynn Best Stage Crew for a Play: Huntington High School: “Almost, Maine” • Best Technical Production for a Play: Huntington High School: “Almost, Maine”
Huntington’s nominees in the musical category included: Best Supporting Actress in a Musical: Josie Sullivan Best Costumes for a Musical: Huntington High School: “Seussical” Best Set Design for a Musical: Huntington High School: “Seussical”
“It was an incredible night,” Mr. Brinn said. “It was such a fun experience. Getting to see my peers who were nominated, along with the major talent throughout the district strut their stuff was so much fun. And of course I was lucky enough to win an award and having a tangible thing to show for my hard work feels really good to have. I couldn't have done it without my insanely talented co-stars, the fantastic director and mentor Mr. Schwendemann and my family and friends who have supported me every step of the way.”