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Health & Fitness

New Man in Town--Oscar Man Debuts at GHS "Just Desserts" Oscar Awards

There is a new man in the city of Geneva. He is very tall,  solidly built, and has a heart of gold.  He resides quietly on State Street, and if you peer into the front window of Image Awards, Engraving,  & Creative Keepsakes, you might get a glimpse of him--Oscar Man, the larger-than-life-sized golden statue belonging to store proprietor, Patty Donahue! Ms. Donahue procured Oscar Man to personify all the trophies and awards she has devoted her career to commemorating. Oscar Man's public debut occurred on Sunday, April 27th, at Riverside Receptions where the Geneva Theatre Boosters hosted their first-annual "Just Desserts" Oscar Awards Gala. *

The Oscar premiere celebrated Geneva Community High School's theatre participants and their contributions to the entertainment community. Boosters President, Rebecca Colbert, quoted Bill English of the San Francisco Playhouse in her opening speech: “Theatre is like a gym for empathy.  It’s where we can go to build up the muscles of compassion, to practice listening, understanding and engaging with people who are not just like ourselves”.  Mrs. Colbert went on to add, "Some people say live theatre is a dying art.  I say, we can’t afford to let that happen.  These kids right here in this room are the future of live theatre.  Because they have learned an appreciation for the value of theatre while in high school, they will go out into the world with those well-developed muscles of empathy…..and for our community,  as well as humanity as a whole, what could be better?"

Over 3000 student-casted votes in 44 categories were tabulated. Thespians were awarded Oscar-like trophies presented in a revolving-door fashion, with each winner opening the next sealed envelope, and announcing the following peer recipient. Here is a sampling of some of the more unusual awards:
OUTSTANDING COMIC ROLE~Cameron Graber
SILENT ROLE~Mallory Grant
 PLAYWRIGHT~Angelie Humbert 
BEST RECOVERY FROM A LINE FLUB~Cameron Graber
CAST THERAPIST~Will Palumbo
HARDEST WORKING STRIKE-DOWN WORKER~Katie Dinning
BEST CRYER ON DEMAND~Anika Nims
LIKELY TO PROVIDE COSTUME RESCUE~Jayne King
FUTURE BENEFACTOR OF ARTS~Rian Kormos
BEST RECRUITER OF GHS THESPIANS~Angelo Gelfuso
BEST TIMING AND PAUSES~Joey McCall
MOST LIKELY TO STAY IN CHARACTER OFFSTAGE~Nick Borodin 
LIKELY TO WIN REAL OSCAR OR GRAMMY~Molly Carberry
MOST  IMPROVED IN CRAFT~Alex Howe

An actual red carpet lined the entryway into the reception, where the GTV television crew, Taylor Boser and Megan Rush,  greeted and interviewed the teenage entertainers. A fancy dessert buffet awaited guests, along with a reminiscent slide show catalogued with photos as far back as middle school which played in the background during the awards ceremony.The evening was highlighted by a senior farewell performance by Anika Nims, who gave a beautifully poignant rendition of  "Home."

Directors who have mentored the students were also in attendance for the celebration. Roxanne Curtis, musical director, had this to say about the value of theatre: "For a high school student, a theatre experience can  provide friendship, an opportunity for self-reflection, a venue for creativity, intense frustration, and great joy; in short, it can change their life! "

A memorable evening was enjoyed by all, with photo opportunities galore with Oscar Man.  Humor lifted the crowd in this bittersweet public gathering before the graduating Class of 2014 soon departs from Viking Harbor. Concluding the program, Oscar chairperson, Gwen Gelfuso, encouraged the seniors who stood before the audience holding Hollywood Walk of Fame stars,  "It's up to you to find out what's real and authentic--what's  elevating and inspiring--on the stage called real life where there is no dress rehearsal!"

Some of the seniors are planning on pursuing the arts in college, and all were left with a thoughtful anecdote from actor Robin Williams' Academy Awards acceptance speech: "Most of all, I want to thank my father, up there, the man who when I said I wanted to be an actor, he said, 'Wonderful. Just have a back-up profession like welding.'" - Robin Williams, Best Supporting Actor, Good Will Hunting, 1998

 *Follow Oscar Man's adventures  and see more photos of this GHS Oscar event at
https://www.facebook.com/ImageAwards  OR 
https://www.pinterest.com/imageawards/the-adventures-of-oscar-man/
Please visit the Geneva Theatre Boosters website to view additional photos:http://genevatheatreboosters.org/images/Oscars%202014/Set%201/gallery.html

Photos courtesy of John Downey.

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