Middletown High School North, South Students Win Basie Awards For Their Work In Theater

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Winners were announced Tuesday evening for the 21st annual Basie Awards, which honor the very best in Monmouth County high school theater.

Here is who won from the Middletown school district:

Emily Kaster, Middletown High School South, "Iphigenia In Tauris:" The Carole Malik award for outstanding costume design in a play

Jerry Golland: Middletown High School South, "Iphigenia In Tauris:" Outstanding lead male role in a drama

Mia Portelli, Middletown High School North, "The Diary of Anne Frank:" Outstanding supporting female role

The entire cast of "Iphigenia In Tauris" at Middletown High School South: Outstanding company in a drama

Liza Perna de Almeida, Middletown High School South, "Guys and Dolls:" Outstanding choreography in a musical

Elena Asfendis, Middletown High School South, "Guys and Dolls:" Outstanding lead performance for a female role in a musical (tie with O'Hara Kane-Assatly at the Ranney School for "Anything Goes.")

The ceremony took place at the historic Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, in what has become the biggest night of the year for high school thespians. A total of 53 high school productions were evaluated during the school year, with more than 80 nominees collected across various categories.

“Once again, the Basie Awards have showcased one of the most vibrant high school theater communities in the state,” said Samantha Giustiniani, vice president of education and outreach at the Count Basie Center for the Arts. “The productions our adjudicators reviewed were outstanding, and tonight’s sold-out crowd of students, friends, family, teachers and administrators were treated to the very best in what our region’s theater community has to offer.”