Congratulations to our 2009 Competition Team:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

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2008 Team News: 

The Holly Children's Theatre Competition Team Wins 1st Place at The National Performing Arts Festival in DisneyWorld! 

January 18-19, 2008, The Holly Children's Theatre competed in The National Performing Arts Festival in Walt DisneyWorld and Won the following honors for their performance of School House Rock, Live! Jr. and in the Solo Competition:

*1st Place Overall- for Schoolhouse Rock- only group chosen to perform at the Galaxy Stage in Magic Kingdom

*Superior Ranking for Schoolhouse Rock (highest possible)

*Carly Berg: Stage Presence in Schoolhouse Rock
*Sarah Peavy: Overall Performance in Schoolhouse Rock
*Benny Higgins: Overall Performance in Schoolhouse Rock
*Kacey Willis: Best Monologue for "Braces"
*Benny Higgins: Best male Vocal Performance for "Moving too Fast"
*Carly Berg: Best female vocal performance for "Popular"

 CompetitionTeam members are: Carly Berg, Sarah Peavy, Matt Fogleman, Benny Higgins, Lexie Brown, Anna Huffman, Emily Soroka, John Boyes, Georgia Stansell, Ali Willis, Kacey Willis, and Kristin LaCount. 

The troupe is directed by Nathan Gerrells, assistant direction by Brooke Caldwell, choreography by Carly Berg, musical direction/trip direction by Kate McElliott

(Left Photo: Nathan, Brooke, & Kate at Saratoga Springs Performance Hall right before competition.  Right Photo: Choreographer Carly Berg is a 16 year old in the show.  She won two individual awards for her performance as well.) 

Click HERE for the Disney Competition Press Release!

Click HERE  to see the complete journal with photos of this trip! 

 Disney online photo albums:

ALBUM 1 

ALBUM 2 

ALBUM 3 

ALBUM 4

ALBUM 5

ALBUM 6

PHOTOS BY PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER FROM TRAVEL AGENCY NOW ONLINE TOO... CLICK HERE TO VIEW. 

CLICK ON PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE TO VIEW LARGER!

The Journal of Our Trip:

DAY ONE: Thursday, January 17, 2008-  We me at Holly at 10:30pm, and departed Dahlonega around 11:00pm... Very few slept on the bus more than a few hours... excitement was high, as you can see in the face of Kristin LaCount, on bus, right photo... And we didn't even know yet that we'd be bringing home what's in the photo to left!

DAY TWO: Friday, January 18, 2008- Muffins on bus, provided by The Picnic Cafe, Thank you!  Arrived in Orlando around 9am and met our tour director from the Travel Agency (Travel Adventures), Denise.

We go to Epcot, rode Spaceship Earth together as a group, ate lunch together, then met with Craig Lovell, a Holly performer now employed as a cast member at Disney!  (Pictured to below and to right, Kristin LaCount, Emily Soroka, and Kacey Willis in Epcot)  We split into groups and rode rides until check-in to the Pop Century Hotel at 4PM.  The group was tired, so we spent this night just settling into the hotel, having dinner at the hotel food court, and rehearsing out by the pool. Mari Ellen Burroughs comes to meet with us at the hotel... now working in entertainment in Orlando and recently a Holly Children's Theatre instructor and performer at the Holly... We meet up with Craig and Mari Ellen several more times this weekend at the parks, etc!  Carly, Nathan, Brooke, Kate, and Marta went to the Directors' Reception at 9PM and met the judges and other teams.  Back to the hotel... competition tomorrow!

DAY THREE: Saturday, January 19, 2008- We ate breakfast at the hotel at 7AM and hopped on our bus to arrive at Saratoga Springs Resort's performance hall for the 8AM competition- This is it!  The National Performing Arts Festival!  Our group perfomed 2nd, at 9:20am, and blew the audience away!  We enjoyed the other performances as well, particularly Improve It!  from St Francis High School in Alpharetta.  Our feedback clinic was conducted by Gloria Willis in the golf lounge at Saratoga Springs Resort.  ADJUDICATION SCORES and COMMENTS TO BE POSTED ONLINE SHORTLY... CHECK BACK SOON!  After our feedback, we ate lunch at the resort's restaurant and also met teenage celebrities CHRIS MASSEY and  KYLE MASSEY (see photo below).

 After lunch and pictures with Chris and Kyle, our troupe headed back to the performance hall for the solo/duo competition.This providedstudents the opportunity to perform individually to showcase their theater skills  for a National Performing Arts Festival clinicians. The students received written and verbal critique to assist them develop their talent.  More notes, with photos, of the solo competition, to be posted shortly. (Pictured above to right, Sarah Peavy and Carly Berg after solo competition.  Both girls earned "Superior' rankings, pictured to right, on bus after solo competition, excited and rightly so, Sarah Peavy) After the solo competition, we went directly to Disney's Hollywood Studios (MGM).  Half our group rode the Tower of Terror (our photo on this scary ride to be posted shortly).  The other half got ready for Fantasmic and saved seats... However, we got the biggest adventure of our trip tonight right after The Tower of Terror and did not attend Fantasmic as torrential rains pounded down in Orlando and we scrambled to our bus together for an early return to the hotel.  Groups back at the hotel played in the large arcade, ate dinner at the food court, shopped at the enormous Disney gift shop, went swimming (after the storm passed), tried desperately to dry all of our shoes in the hotel dryers, and played cards.

DAY FOUR: Sunday, January 20, 2008- We started bright and early again today with the Awards Ceremony and Breakfast at Planet Hollywood in Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney.  Carly was pulled on stage with girls from other groups to sing happy birthday to one of the members of one of the other competition teams, Nathan guessed the character in Top Gun to be named BACON instead of GOOSE based on Kate's confusing hints when he was pulled on stage, and Brooke ruled as movie buff trivia champion on stage- and hoola-hoop and rock, paper, and scissors champion!
  Awards were presented, culminating in the showcase award, first prize award, awarded to The Holly Children's Theatre, promising our showcase performance at DisneyWorld later in the afternoon.  After leaving Planet Hollywood, our troupe combined with St. Francis' troupe and attending workshops by each of our judges and then a Disney talent casting workshop by the Senior Casting Agent for Walt Disney World.  More details, photos, etc of award ceremony and workshops to be posted shortly.  After the workshops, we attended a luncheon and mixer at 8-Trax at Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney, with great food and a fun dance floor.

(Pictured below is Kate McElliott on dance floor, but must have been altered by photographer Dan Berg, as obviously she looked much cooler than that doing "Thriller'... Also below, Marta Guevara, Kate McElliott, and Nathan Gerrells in line for Pirates, ARRRrrr)

  After the luncheon, we changed into costumes and boarded the bus to perform at DisneyWorld.  We were taken to the performers' entrance, driven into Tomorrowland by our bus, and had an experience of a lifetime performing on stage in Tomorrowland at the Galaxy Stage! Pictured to right are "Conjunction Junction" girls strutting their stuff at DisneyWorld (Kristin LaCount, Emily Soroka, and Anna Huffman). Pictured below and to right, Matt Fogleman as Elvis in "Ciculation" with dance partner Carly Berg and an excited face by Sarah Peavy in background.  Many more photos of this performance to be posted shortly.  After our performance, we hit DisneyWorld for rides and dinner!!  Frigid temperatures did not keep this troupe from viewing the parade, fireworks, and riding virtually every ride.  The last group left DisneyWorld at 2AM.