Steele Canyon High School Drama Department senior Mary Rose Vadeboncoeur was awarded Best Actress and SCHS Theatre Director Nicole La Bella was voted Best Local Theatre Teacher of the Year at the sixth annual Broadway San Diego Awards that took place Sunday, May 26, 2019 at the Balboa Theatre, downtown San Diego.
At the awards show, hosted by Joey Landwehr, artistic director of BSD Awards, and Marcella Lee of CBS News 8, Vadeboncoeur competed as one of the top 20 best local high school musical theatre nominees performing “On My Own” from her nominated role as Eponine in SCHS’s recent production of Les Misérables. She also sang a contrasting piece.
From those two adjudicated performances, she was named Best Actress. Along with La Costa Canyon High School senior, Rocco Polanco as Best Actor, Vadeboncoeur will represent the San Diego region at the Jimmy Awards (National High School Musical Theatre Awards) in New York City this summer.
On Broadway, she will meet and compete with winners from other regional competitions across the country for a chance to win a $10,000 college scholarship.
Also, at the Broadway San Diego Awards Show, Steele Canyon High School Theatre Director Nicole La Bella was announced the winner of the online contest sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union to name the Best Local Theatre Teacher of the Year. Noting the importance of drama teachers in our schools today, Sarah Bilyeu, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Community Relations at SDCCU, presented La Bella with the award that includes a trip for two to New York City and tickets to the Jimmy Awards where she’ll watch her student compete.
Upon winning the award, La Bella said, “I am just beside myself. I am so lucky and could never begin to thank you all enough for your support.”
The night of celebration for Steele Canyon High School also included seven of their Steele Canyon Players selected to perform in the Broadway San Diego Awards Show All Star Chorus. Dani Castillo Cario, Paris Carter, Claire Doucet, Wyatt Gardner, Jackson Nunn, Cierra Riddle and Sydney Villa sang and danced in the show’s opening and closing ensemble numbers with the top 20 Best Actor & Best Actress nominees.
The Broadway San Diego Awards program is now entering its sixth year and the competition is sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union.
