Hard Work Pays Off for Colonie’s Line ‘n Cue

By Cameron Froehlich, Colonie

May 28, 10:03 a.m. 

After months of rehearsals and a very successful run for Colonie Central High School's Line ‘n Cue in their production of Mary Poppins, the drama club was nominated for several accolades at the High School Musical Theater Awards at Proctors, including Best Musical, Tier A.

This nomination provided a unique opportunity for cast members to perform a number from the show on the Proctors mainstage, Two representatives, Mason Calarco, and Cameron Froehlich,  also performed in the opening and closing numbers alongside peers from other participating schools. 

When Co-Director, Susan Vatalaro, was asked how it felt to win Best Musical for the second year in a row, she said it was “true validation,” of all the hard work the students and staff had put into building a successful performance and expanding the club's audience base. However, Vatalaro says even higher praise was retired music teacher, Mrs. Weeks, saying the production was the best she had ever seen. 

Line ‘n Cue attempts to surpass their best performance every year, expanding the program as well as box office numbers as they put on their annual spring performance. These numbers demonstrate what Vatalaro considers the most important form of recognition. 

“I think recognition for our successes counts less as statues at an awards ceremony than it does as standing ovations and accolades given by the people who come to see our shows,” she said. 

Music Director, Michael Aniolek, explains how participation in the HSMTA encourages Line ‘n Cue to meet standards they have set for themselves, rather than focusing on winning. 

“Sure, it would be nice to have the opportunity to win again, but my goal is for our cast and crew to learn and develop theater skills, and most importantly take pride in the hard work they’re doing,” he says. 

Aniolek also mentioned how he hopes that with the success of Line ‘n Cue’s program over the past several years -including four nominations and two wins- might encourage incoming freshmen or even upperclassmen to consider participating in the club.

“I am always thrilled when I meet students who want to be on stage for the first time,” he says, describing how he hopes to continue to grow the program as the years continue and help new members grow their passion for the arts. 

It's not just the staff who had a valuable experience with the club's participation in the High School Musical Theater Awards, but also students. 

Senior, Val Monnington, who played Mr. Banks in the production says “it's a good ending, I’m happy we won, it was like a last hoorah.” 

Monnington describes how their experience backstage at rehearsals and the performance of the awards was extremely positive, they met new people from many different schools and had many joyful interactions. 

“I walked around and asked people whether I should wear a black or a red tie, and they were all super nice,” they said with an uncontainable smile, demonstrating exactly how positive and memorable the ceremony was. 

Monnington says they took away several important things from the show and from participating in the awards, including learning to tap dance a little bit. 

“There's so many people out there who will share the same interests as you, and you are going to meet so many nice people in the world,” they shared as their biggest takeaway from their senior show. 

Months of work culminated into a win for one of Colonies biggest clubs, and both students and staff describe the experience as one they will never forget as they look to the future and continue to put on performances for years to come.