This year, for their annual spring musical, Amador and Foothill put on a production of Addams Family. The show was a smashing success – so much so that the musical was nominated for three categories in the Sara Bareilles Awards: Outstanding Overall Production, Outstanding Lead Actor, and Outstanding Lead Actress.
An Exceptional Accomplishment
Amador’s very own Hayden Wood (‘25) was nominated for outstanding lead actor following his performances as Gomez Addams, while Foothill’s Zoe Shuga (‘25) was nominated for her role as Morticia Addams.
“I was walking out of choir and my teacher, Segal, told me I was nominated for the lead actress award. [And I] replied, ‘oh my gosh!’ because I was so shocked. I knew for sure that Hayden would be nominated, but I didn’t think I would too. I immediately called my mom to tell her and she was so excited and said she wasn’t shocked,” said Shuga.
While individual students have been nominated, the production as a whole has been nominated as well, celebrating the entire cast of The Addams Family.
“For me, this award celebrates many things. Not only does it celebrate how far I have come, but it celebrates the outstanding group of people that helped me get to where I am today,” said Wood.
While this is a huge accomplishment for the students, it’s also a new achievement for both Foothill and Amador’s drama programs.
“[The Sara Bareilles Awards are] great for notoriety and growing the program… But we try to make sure that additional accolades like awards are not a motivating factor for how we make theater. That being said, it’s really exciting to have outside validation for all our hard work,” shared Drama teacher Hannah Davies.
The Sara Bareilles Awards – and Further
The Sara Bareilles Awards will take place on May 18. There, students will perform for judges.
“Right now, we have about three weeks until the show! As a collective, we’ve been rigorously meeting and discussing the plans moving forward, as well as Zoe and I’s process. We start rehearsing next week,” said Wood.
As the big day nears, the cast and nominees are filled with excitement and pride over how far they’ve come.
“If I won my category I think it would feel like an unreal euphoria. I wasn’t planning to pursue theater as a career… But I do love it and want to continue doing it just for fun. Winning this award could make me want to make theater a bigger part of my life going forward knowing that it could be more than just a hobby,” said Shuga.
Whichever students win the competition move on to the Jimmy Awards in New York City. There, students face a week of coaching and activities before all their work culminates in performing on a Broadway stage.
“I can’t even start imagining what it would be like to have students at the Jimmy awards. It’s still too abstract, even though we’re hopeful,” said Davies.
