A month ago, the Wilkes Playmakers had a Broadway revue for a second time. When I heard that a second revue was underway, I grew excited. The year before I had the pleasure of being one of the performers and knew that we would see great talent.
When I entered Benton Hall, the building was alive as people weaved in and out of the Great Hall and Alumni Room. The crowd was abuzz with anticipation. The time came for us to make our way to the upper level. I eagerly made my way to an open seat. Although I have worked with many of those who performed that night in various productions, I was still blown away by the sheer talent and skill our fellow Playmakers have.
The last song of the night, the Playmakers rendition of Les Misérables’ “Do you hear the People Sing”, was my favorite number. Not only did it sound great. The performers had a good stage presence. From where I sat, I could see that they had put in everything they had in that performance. The crowd gave them a standing ovation and it was deserved.
When we think of Wilkes County, many of us think of the companies that started here, NASCAR and moonshine, but we have something else to offer and that is our thriving theatre community.
Amid the captivating performances, we also revealed the winners of our 2023 season awards!
Our actors, crew, and volunteers work hard to produce the shows our patrons get to enjoy. In review of our year, we all cherish and share so many memories and special moments, such as our cast getting emotional during the last, final battle scene, joining together to cover a director with stickers, silly pranks played on each other, or making each other lose the game backstage.
These are our award winners for the 2023 season!
Best Show | Puffs
Directed by Holly Piotrowski
Best Set | The Real Story of Alice in Wonderland
Directed by Holly Piotrowski
Best Leading Actor | Caroline Rhoades
Annabelle | An Enchanted Bookshop Christmas
Best Death | Modio Chavez
Wayne | Puffs
Best Antagonist | Jeannie Green
Svetlana | Late Nite Bites
Best Dressed | Logan Waddell
Cheshire Cat | The Real Story of Alice in Wonderland
Best Duo | Johnny Barnette and Kristy Mathis
The Magistrate and Eric | The Princess and the Pea
Patron's Choice Award
Each show, we always ask our patrons to drop spare change in their favorite actor's bin as a vote. This is a fabulous fundraiser that helps us with our daily operations.
In 2023, our patrons donated over $3200. Thank you!
Let us know your favorite part of 2023!
Favorite show, event, memory, etc!