{"id":168031,"date":"2026-08-13T09:50:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=168031"},"modified":"2026-08-13T10:58:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:58:22","slug":"wright-state-theatre-recognized-among-miami-valleys-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/08\/13\/wright-state-theatre-recognized-among-miami-valleys-best\/","title":{"rendered":"Wright State Theatre recognized among Miami Valley\u2019s best"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_168041\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/08\/13\/wright-state-theatre-recognized-among-miami-valleys-best\/260323_0634_theatre_1776__web\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-168041\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168041\" class=\"wp-image-168041 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2026\/08\/260323_0634_Theatre_1776__web-508x339.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-168041\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wright State Theatre\u2019s production of \u201c1776,\u201d directed and choreographed by Greg Helms, professor and head of musical theatre, was named Best Collegiate Musical by the Dayton Daily News for the 2025\u201326 season. (Photos by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Wright State University Theatre students and faculty earned top honors in the Dayton Daily News\u2019 annual roundup of the Miami Valley\u2019s best theatre productions and performances of the 2025\u201326 season.<\/p>\n<p>In his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daytondailynews.com\/community\/1776-frozen-les-mis-rables-among-best-shows-across-dayton-region-during-2025-26-theater\/article_aa94d873-6259-5f02-90f8-50f46b712fd1.html\">annual review of the theatre season<\/a>, Russell Florence Jr., the team leader\/coordinator of the Dayton Daily News Lifestyles, praised Wright State\u2019s production of \u201cOnly in New York,\u201d calling it an \u201cincredibly catchy and promising R&amp;B musical bolstered by a \u2018Hamilton\u2019 essence, and the \u201cremarkably relevant, gender-swapped\u201d production of \u201c1776.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Florence also selected Wright State\u2019s \u201cThe History Boys\u201d and \u201c1776\u201d as the Miami Valley\u2019s area collegiate play and musical, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWright State Theatre strives to train the next generation of professional performers, designers and technicians in front of the eyes of our loyal patrons,\u201d said Marya Spring Cordes, artistic director of theatre and dance and associate chair of the <a href=\"https:\/\/liberal-arts.wright.edu\/fine-and-performing-arts\">School of Fine and Performing Arts<\/a>. \u201cIt is an honor to be recognized for our excellent standard amongst all of the theatre-makers telling stories in the Dayton region.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_168044\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/08\/13\/wright-state-theatre-recognized-among-miami-valleys-best\/260323_9616_theatre_1776__web\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-168044\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168044\" class=\"size-large wp-image-168044\" src=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2026\/08\/260323_9616_Theatre_1776__web-508x339.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-168044\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Dayton Daily News named musical theatre major Sarah Rowell the Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of John Adams in \u201c1776.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><strong>Wright State Theatre\u2019s top honors<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Wright State Theatre students, faculty and productions received the following top awards:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Best Collegiate Play:<\/strong> \u201cThe History Boys\u201d (directed by guest director Jason Podplesky)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Best Collegiate Musical:<\/strong> \u201c1776\u201d (directed and choreographed by Greg Helms, professor and head of musical theatre)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Best New Work and Best Original Score:<\/strong> Ronv\u00e9 O\u2019Daniel, assistant professor of musical theatre, for <a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/08\/04\/only-in-new-york-born-at-wright-state-2\/\">\u201cOnly in New York\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Best Leading Actress in a Musical:<\/strong> Sarah Rowell, senior musical theatre major, as John Adams in \u201c1776\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Best Local Choreography:<\/strong> Ashley Pabst, instructor of dance, for \u201cThe Wedding Singer\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Additional nominations<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Wright State Theatre also received numerous nominations across the region:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Collegiate Musical:<\/strong> \u201cOnly in New York\u201d and \u201cThe Wedding Singer\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Breakthrough Male Performance in a Play:<\/strong> Luke Niehaus, sophomore musical theatre major, as Scripps, \u201cThe History Boys\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Breakthrough Female Performance in a Musical:<\/strong> Miranda Morrissette, senior musical theatre major, as Julia Sullivan, \u201cThe Wedding Singer,\u201d and Ainsley Smith, sophomore musical theatre major, as Benjamin Franklin, \u201c1776\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Leading Actress in a Musical:<\/strong> Elisa Pacheco, senior acting major, as Kenya, \u201cOnly in New York\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_168037\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/08\/13\/wright-state-theatre-recognized-among-miami-valleys-best\/260211_5573_theatre_only-in-new-york__web__2-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-168037\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168037\" class=\"size-large wp-image-168037\" src=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2026\/08\/260211_5573_Theatre_Only-In-New-York__web__2-508x339.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-168037\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cast of \u201cOnly in New York,\u201d named the Best New Work by the Dayton Daily News.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Best Supporting Actor in a Play:<\/strong> Aidan Edwards, senior musical theatre major, as Irwin, \u201cThe History Boys\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Supporting Actress in a Play:<\/strong> Kayleigh Gleeson, senior acting major, as Mrs. Lintott, \u201cThe History Boys\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Supporting Actress in a Musical:<\/strong> Grace Goodwin, senior musical theatre major, as John Dickinson, \u201c1776,\u201d and Elise Parks, musical theatre major, as Edward Rutledge, \u201c1776\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Direction of a Musical:<\/strong> Marya Spring Cordes, artistic director of theatre and dance, \u201cOnly in New York\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Costume Design of a Musical:<\/strong> Zo\u00eb Still, instructor of design\/technology, \u201c1776\u201d and \u201cThe Wedding Singer\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Orchestra:<\/strong> \u201c1776,\u201d F. Wade Russo, musical director<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Lighting Design of a Play:<\/strong> Levi T. Fravel, junior design\/technology major, \u201cThe History Boys\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_168040\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/08\/13\/wright-state-theatre-recognized-among-miami-valleys-best\/260217-theatre-the-history-boys\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-168040\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168040\" class=\"size-large wp-image-168040\" src=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2026\/08\/260217_2012_Theatre_The-History-Boys__web-508x259.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"235\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-168040\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wright State Theatre\u2019s production \u201cThe History Boys,\u201d directed by guest director Jason Podplesky, was honored as Best Collegiate Play by the Dayton Daily News.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Award-winning productions and standout performances showcase the talent of Wright State Theatre students, faculty and alumni. <a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2026\/08\/13\/wright-state-theatre-recognized-among-miami-valleys-best\/\" class=\"morelink\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":168041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,2037,711,4859,725,747,715],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-arts-scene","category-faculty-staff","category-fine-and-performing-arts","category-home-news-sidebar","category-liberal-arts","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168031"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168131,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168031\/revisions\/168131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}