Bucks County Theater Festival

By: Marissa Miczek

Garnet Valley Performing Arts Shines at Bucks County Theater Festival

New Hope, Pennsylvania – March 31, 2025

Garnet Valley Performing Arts Association (GVPAA) proudly represented Garnet Valley High School at the Bucks County Theater Festival on Monday, March 31. Held at the iconic Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA, the day featured inspiring workshops, community-building, and standout performances by student theater programs from across the region.

Morning Workshops: Broadway-Level Learning

Students participated in professional-level classes in Hamilton choreography, ensemble building, and theater techniques, led by industry professionals, including two directors and an actor fresh off the national tour of Hamilton, where she starred as Eliza.

Performance Highlights

GVPAA performed 20-minute excerpts from two recent shows: Brigadoon and 42nd Street, featuring 47 student actors and6 crew members. Each performance was followed by live critique from a panel of professional adjudicators who praised the students for their energy, professionalism, and passion.

Brigadoon

• Praised for ensemble energy, choreography, and strong character work

• Special recognition for:

  • Cole Miller and Lauren Cusick as Tommy and Fiona for their believable character interactions and their vocals.

  • Jeanne Eppler and Gavin Garcia as Meg and Jeff for their comedic timing and their convincing character work. 

  • Levi Schnatz and the male dancers for the Irish Jig and Sword Dance for their precision and enthusiasm.

  • Student directors Dage Newkirk, Jeanne Eppler, and Kaidyn Potochar for the obvious work they did in staging and creating an ensemble that work together well. 

  • Carli Fruchtl for ensemble choreography and for the seamless dance numbers between Fiona and Tommy. 

  • Mrs. Thomas and the full vocal ensemble for ethereal harmonies

  
  

• The opening and closing numbers were applauded for powerful staging and vocals

• Tech credits: Meredith Strickland and Raigen Roades for props, tech, and lighting

42nd Street

• Received strong praise for tap accuracy, vocal power, and character transitions

• Highlights included:

  • Aidan Simpkiss for his transformation from Brigadoon’s kind schoolmaster to 42nd Street’s intense Julian Marsh

  • Cole Miller and Lauren Cusick were again recognized for vocal excellence and Lauren was praised for her ability to act like she couldn’t dance, even though it was obvious from the previous show excerpt that she could.

  • The quartet was praised for their beautiful harmonies in  lullaby of Broadway.

  • Choreography by Carli Fruchtl and direction by Mrs. Arters were praised for the unity of the ensemble and for making it obvious that the cast and crew  truly worked well together.  The adjudicators even noted that they had seen how close the cast and crew seemed to be in the audience, during vocal,warm-ups, and even in the classes in the morning.

  
  

Festival Awards & Recognition

At the conclusion of the festival, GVPAA  received three official shout-outs from the adjudicators. Garnet Valley was honored with:

• Outstanding Chorus of the Festival for Brigadoon's vocal and dance ensemble

• Best Individual Dancer Award to Levi Schnatz

• Outstanding Dance Performance for the 42nd Street cast

Although individual awards were not given this year to any of the schools as they have been in the past, GVPAA was incredibly proud to receive these three acknowledgments presented at the event.

A Celebration of Community and Creativity

Beyond the awards, the adjudicators emphasized the ensemble’s unity, character commitment, and contagious enthusiasm. GVPAA once again demonstrated that their success comes not just from talent, but from the heart, collaboration, and joy they bring to the stage and behind it.

Congratulations to all cast, crew, directors, and a huge thank you to all of our GVPAA  parents and production team, as well as our teacher, student, and administrative supporters on helping us earn a phenomenal showing. For more GVPAA updates, follow us on social media on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook or visit our website GVPAA.org