[Barbosa and I]

The International Thespian Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society will be putting on the first ever Arts, Theatre and Music Awards on Friday, June 2. Established by ITS advisor Greg Parker, the

Oscars-esque event will honor students throughout the performing arts department – and even give them a chance to walk down a red carpet in formal attire.

” felt that the awards were something that we could use to recognize a wider range of kids. A lot of kids that are in drama may not necessarily be the academically-focused kids who win academic awards, or the sporty kids who win those awards. So it’s allowed us to recognize not just our well-rounded theatre students but our tech students, and our set students, and our backstage students,” Parker said.

The show will feature 19 awards from both the theatrical and musical sides of the department. Some, such as the “HB Legacy Award” and the “Director’s Choice” awards were decided upon by each staff member in the department. But the majority, including “Best Actress in a Lead Role” and “Excellence in Pit Orchestra,” were voted on by the students in Tri-M and ITS. Regardless, in true award show fashion, it will be a mystery to all in attendance who will take home the gold at the end of the night.

The ATAM Awards will be hosted by Parker and Matthew Barbosa, advisor of Tri-M. Additionally, senior and ITS president Ava Occhialini will be the emcee for the night, introducing each award.

“When you’re doing something like theatre, where there are a set number of roles or spotlights, not everyone can be recognized all the time. What ATAM Awards night I think is going to do is recognize some underclassmen, some ensemble, who don’t as often get that sort of recognition for their work,” Occhialini said.

Once all of the awards have been given out, the induction ceremonies for both ITS and Tri-M will take place. New members of each society will be welcomed and the departing seniors thanked for their contributions to the performing arts community.

“It’s one of those things where we sort of get to celebrate the year,” Parker said. “If you know someone who’s in the department, if you’ve seen the shows, it’s a fun experience to come in and see not only the department celebrate itself but also some fun little vignettes in between – we’ll have some improv worked in there and choral stuff.”

The red carpet, which will extend outside from the auditorium, will open at 6 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. If you can’t make it to the show, be sure to follow the Facebook and Twitter pages of The Cavalier Chronicle, HB’s school newspaper, as they will be posting live updates throughout the night!

This column is written by Nicole Poitras, a senior at Hollis Brookline High School. She was among 51 high school journalists representing all 50 states and Washington, D.C., who attended the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in Washington last June.