Nominees for the 2024 Metro Awards (also known as “the high school Tony awards”) include four for the Parsons Street Players’ production of Mamma Mia! in April. The winners will be announced live at a ceremony on June 10. The nominations are:
-Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Female-Identified Role
-Sydnee Brown as Rosie Mulligan
-Outstanding Performance in a Cameo Male-Identified Role Sam Rodriguez as Eddie
-Outstanding Performance of a Small Group Number “Dancing Queen” (Kiki Keith, Sydnee Brown, Karis Repetto)
-Outstanding Performance by a Child Performer Haley Kloepfer and Olivia King as Young Donna and Young Sophie
Local Artist Selected
The American Women Artists selected Elizabeth B. Derderian, long-time Rye resident, artist and teacher, to be juried in to their 2024 Annual Online Exhibition. Derderian’s work was chosen out of a pool of 1,039 works, entered by 382 artists. The show comprised only 160 works. Her painting, “Entrance to Rye Beach,” won the Outstanding Achievement Award for Landscape/Cityscape, one of 23 awards that were granted.
Derderian taught acrylic and oil painting to adults at the Rye Arts Center from 2007 to 2023. Her paintings of Rye can be seen on the walls of On the Way Café, and on the postcards of the Pearl Restaurant Group.
Community Synagogue Members Have Day of Volunteering
Members of Community Synagogue of Rye celebrated “Mitzvah Day” on Saturday, May 18. In Hebrew, mitzvah means good deed. At this year’s day of good deeds, volunteers:
- Decorated and filled snack bags for the children at Ronald McDonald House
- Potted and decorated containers of plants for Atria Senior Living residents
- Donated new children’s books to the Carver Center
- Donated toys in good condition and sorted/cleaned them for use in new homes
- Participated in an Outdoor Clean Up at CSR
- Created “Thank you for your service” and “Thinking of You” cards for Israeli Defense Forces soldiers
- Wrote postcards to encourage people to vote in the June primary elections.