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Local students earn awards at theatre festival

CharACTers Children’s Theatre members Catie Stahlkuppe (left) and Kelsi Cordell display the Excellence in Ensemble Work award that the CTC earned at the recent 2014 Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta.

Students from CharACTers Children’s Theatre (CCT) in Rainbow City won a Freddie G Award for Excellence in Ensemble Work at the 2014 Junior Theater Festival on Jan. 17, 18 and 19 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Ga.

The 38 students presented selections from Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR. 

CTC members Jacob Dowdy and Kelsi Cordell were two of 141 students who made it to the final call-back for future Broadway Junior shoots for “how-to” choreography videos for soon-to-be released Broadway Junior musicals.

The shoots will be taped in New York City this summer.  These videos will be used in tens of thousands of schools across the country and internationally.

Payton Russell and Cheslee Duke were named to the Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, made up of two outstanding performers from each group attending the festival.

The All-Stars performed a song during the closing ceremony for all 4,500 festival attendees.

Students who traveled to the 2014 Junior Theater Festival on behalf of CharACTers Children’s Theatre are Laura Akins, Lauren Beck, Ava Bikneris, Olivia Bikneris, Rachel Bonner, Bailey Broome, Garrett Brown, Chase Capes, Kylee Carlton, Chloe Cater, Mackenzie Coffelt, Kate Cole, Catherine Copeland, Kelsi Cordell, Ashton Dillard, Jacob Dowdy, Cheslee Duke, Brooke Elam, Miranda Fairel, Mackenzie Godfrey, Faith Gordon,  Emma Grace Hale, Mady Henry, Abbi Henson, Kloe Justice, Becky Maurer, Katie Maurer, Jordan Nail, Hannah Reynolds, Payton Russell, Catie Stahlkuppe, Laurellei Veasey, Annie Waldrop, Catherine Westley, Ramsey Whitney, Aden Whittaker, Ensley Williamson and Karly Wilmore. 

CharACTers Entertainment was originally founded and created by Cody Carlton, along with the constant and dedicated help of Santana McKinney (now Santana McKinney Carlton) in 2007.

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