Local student actors honored at 19th annual Isaac Awards in Altoona

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — Twenty schools from six different counties were recognized Saturday and Sunday at Altoona’s Mishler Theatre for the 19th annual Isaac Awards for high school musicals.

The Isaacs are presented by Altoona Community Theatre and Reliance Bank “to encourage and support excellence in high school musical theatre in our region.”

Judges for the awards visited the participating schools starting in early November and ending in April. Several schools and student performers were awarded in categories including best actor, best actress and best production.

“I have only been doing theatre for two years, and last year I won my first Isaac,” said Marah Goff, a student actress at Central High School. “So them giving me that support and recognition really made me want to strive to do better and find more love in theatre than I already had.”

Tara Enedy, the Executive Director of the Altoona Community Theatre, said that what students learn from participating in theater programs while they are young, can have a lasting, positive impact.

“It teaches kids the soft skills like teamwork and collaboration, working to meet a deadline, memorizing lines, being able to speak on stage. It’s a wealth of skills that make kids better people,” Enedy said.

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The Isaac Awards also provides between $40,000 to $50,000 in scholarships to students every year.

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