Knoxville’s musical theatre department recently received recognition from the Iowa Musical Theatre Association for their performance of “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Among the awards received was recognition for dedication to accessible arts opportunities. Annie Leonard says this means Knoxville is able to provide these opportunities for not only every student, but anyone in the community who wants to help out.

“We try to make our theatre family inclusive to everybody for all the kids, all the community members who want to come and help. We have awesome kids working backstage and in the light booth, the sound booth, on stage. Some people have disabilities, some people have special challenges, and we welcome them all. This year, we got recognized for something that is natural, and what we should be doing anyway. So it was nice to get that recognition.”

The production was also recognized for Outstanding Overall Technical and Creative Achievement. Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role recipients included Katelynn Collins as “Esther Smith” and Hayden Hudson as “Agnes Smith.”

Johanna Leonard as “Katie” was recognized for Special Recognition for Performance in a Principal Role.

Hear more about these awards on an upcoming Let’s Talk Knoxville.