The Blue & White

by Crystal Castro

Stage Door 22, Methuen High School’s theater guild, finished off the year strong with their performance of The Little Mermaid, just in time for the live action movie’s release Friday, May 27th.

To celebrate their success, the cast and crew threw their annual cast party and ‘JOANY’ awards. The purposes of the Cast Party and “The JOANY’S” (not to be confused with the Tony’s) are to both celebrate the hard work of every cast and crew member that made the production possible, while also honoring the seniors for all of their dedication throughout their time in theater.

The Cast Party is held at a cast member’s house and is a potluck style occasion, in which each member brings in something, whether that be chips, soda, sandwiches, pasta, fruit, cake, or anything in between, for everyone to enjoy. Throughout the home, different members of SD22 partook in different activities depending on where they were. Overall, the Cast Party achieves its purpose by providing a designated time outside of school for all members of SD22 to hang out and create long lasting memories with one another.

The “JOANY’S” originated years ago, and was inspired by the annual Band Award Banquet hosted at DoubleTree by Hilton in Andover. According to Director Joan Walsh, members of SD22 asked if they were going to celebrate the end of the year with an awards banquet like the MHS Band had at the end of the year, to which she replied, “No—we are going to have an ice cream social!” This was not only because holding an awards banquet takes a lot of planning, but also because SD22 didn’t have any funding to pay for a venue, DJ, or awards. Therefore, the Joany Awards, inspired by the Tony Awards, was born and has been held at the end of the school year ever since. At the Joany’s, seniors are recognized for their time in SD22 and receive senior posters and Joany Award. What makes these awards unique is that they are meant to lightheartedly dig at each graduating member.

Here are the awards for the 2022-23 year:
“Where Have You Been?” Award: Elijah Hashem, because no one ever knows where Elijah is, whether that be with the Costume Crew, Props Crew, Set Crew, JROTC room, on stage with the cast, or wherever else…it’s Elijah.

“Athlete of The Year” Award: Brandon Bui, because Brandon is always running around to be as efficient as he can, while doing flips and tricks of all sorts, like a true athlete.

“The Zen” Award: Issaiah Pereira, because Issaiah’s comforting presence never fails to make anyone feel calm.

“Ugly Duckling” Award: Nero Marcazzolo, because Nero grew out of his shell throughout his years in SD22, and bloomed into the thoughtful and outgoing person he is today.

“Newcomer” Award: Allison Castillo, because Allison just joined SD22 this year and was incredible as one of the Mersisters in The Little Mermaid.

“MVP” Award: Dyana Bell, because whenever Walsh needed something, whether that be a prop or a helping hand, Dyana was always there to save the day.

“Beyond the Call of Duty” Award: Emily Lindtveit, because Emily managed to juggle multiple extracurriculars, including Band and Varsity Track, and still gave SD22 her all.

“Jack of All Trades” Award: Cameron Cagle, because Cam was placed in Walsh’s Acting class when he transferred to MHS and graciously volunteered his time after school to both cast and crew throughout his years.

“Girlboss” Award: Rory Smith, because not only did Rory serve as Light Crew Chief this year, but she also managed to rank as Valedictorian in this year’s graduating class (like a girlboss).

“Mama Bear” Award: Dhameliss Benitez, because Dhameliss never failed to offer a helping hand and comfort the underclassmen when they needed it.

“Right Hand Man” Award: Bryan Diep, because Bryan was never afraid to voice his opinion to Walsh and helped her make well-thought out decisions throughout his years is SD22.

“Philosophers” Award: Andrew Le, because Andrew constantly shared his wisdom and is going on to study Philosophy in college.

“Tried and True” Award: Ryan Naamani, because Ryan’s relationship with Walsh began long before his time at MHS, in which he has proven to be a loyal, valued, and and committed member of SD22.

“Independent Spirit” Award: Jenevieve Young, because Jenevieve’s free spirited attitude set her apart from the rest in the beginning her freshman year, to which she now serves as SD22’s Vice President and Front Office Manager.

“Standing Ovation” Award: Ella MacLaren, because Ella serves not only as President and Props Crew Chief, but also played lead roles throughout her time in SD22, and did so with professionalism, responsibility, and commitment.

“Dancing Queen” Award: James Sugden, because James’ improvement and enthusiasm for dance and performing arts surfaced during large group numbers for The Little Mermaid.

All of Stage Door 22 is sad to see these seniors go, but at the same time, immensely excited to see what the future holds for these incredibly talented individuals.