“Into the Woods” recognized by California High School Musical Honors program

The Upper School’s production of “Into the Woods” has been named a nominee in the category of “overall production” by the California High School Musical Honors program, and four cast members have been announced as finalists in the competition’s four respective divisions for individual performance.

Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari (12), Madi Lang-Ree (12), Emre Ezer (10) and Helen Woodruff (11) are nominees for Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress respectively.

Performing Arts Department Chair and “Into the Woods” director Laura Lang-Ree anticipates the cast’s performance in the next round of the competition.

“For ‘Best Show,’ it’s usually the strength of the ensemble that makes the difference,” Lang-Ree said. “It’s great to have strong principals; every single one of them was very strong, but it’s always the strength of the team. As a team we’re going to have such a blast; it’ll be so great to perform on that big magnificent stage. Frankly, the honor is just being a finalist.”

Jeton, who played the role of the Baker, cited his involvement with Middle School’s technical theatre program as being the inception of his acting career at Harker. Upon the encouragement of Drama and Study of Theater Arts teacher Monica Colletti, he auditioned for his first play in the seventh grade; he has taken part in productions ever since.

“My immediate reaction was excitement and fear,” Jeton said. “I am still processing the nomination; it was very surprising. I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity to represent my school and the incredible cast and crew behind ‘Into the Woods.’ The other people nominated for these awards are incredibly talented, and sharing the stage with them in front of a huge audience will be intimidating.”

A performer with the Harker Conservatory since kindergarten, Madi has performed in various ensembles including Downbeat, Harmonics and Dance Fusion, and in several productions including the “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Wedding Singer” and “Anonymous.” In 2015, she played the Baker’s Wife in “Into the Woods” and directed “We Live Here” in the Student Directed Showcase (SDS).

“I was absolutely taken by surprise by the nomination,” Madi said. “As the emotions have settled in, I’m completely humbled by this and so grateful for this show, this cast and this honor. I started performing because I love the feeling of being on stage and completely becoming someone else for a few hours [and] having the opportunity to play varying roles, I’ve found myself becoming more aware and empathetic.”

The cast will now advance to the next phase of the competition; they are to perform at the Rita Moreno Awards, which will be co-hosted by Broadway San Jose and the Children’s Musical Theater (CMT) and judged by a slew of notables, including Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award-recipient Rita Moreno herself.

For Madi, whose first performance was at the age of two, arts play a pivotal role. Madi credits the Performing Arts program at Harker for inspiring her to pursue her passions and offering her a breadth of possibilities. She intends to major in Theatre at Chapman University in the fall of 2017.

“Jokingly, I like to say that I’ve been performing since the fetal days, as my mom was in a show while pregnant,” Madi said. “The performing arts program here is what really inspired me and I’m so thankful for all the experiences and opportunities. I honestly don’t care about winning or trying to compete at the event, I just want to go out there with my fellow nominees and have a great time doing what I’m passionate about. To finish off my senior year with this and the Fringe Festival is so amazing.”

Jeton too intends to continue performing at the collegiate level.

“It’s been a huge part of my life, and a lot of who I am today is because of the people I’ve gotten to know and perform alongside,” Jeton said. “[In college], at the very least I’ll join a choir.”

In past years, the California National Honors program has recognized upper school students in several productions, including “Les Miserables,” “Pippin,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and “Oklahoma,” which were performed in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Along with individual performances from nominees Jeton, Madi, Emre and Helen, the full cast will perform their rendition of “Into the Woods” at the regionals of the California High School Honors program, dubbed the Rito Moreno Awards, at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts on June 1 at 7 p.m.

They will perform for the chance to advance to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, or the Jimmy™ Awards, which are to be held on June 29 at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre in New York and feature two performers from the regional round.