Ranney School Receives Four Count Basie Award Nominations

The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank recently honored Ranney School’s Fine and Performing Arts Department with four nominations for this year’s Count Basie Theatre Awards. Three Ranney students and one faculty member were nominated in the “Dramatic Productions” category for their work in “You Can’t Take it With You,” the first theatrical production to be staged in Ranney School’s new 400-seat RSPA Panther Hall.

The annual Awards, popularly known as "The Basies," recognize excellence in secondary school theatre in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. This year, two students, senior Greg Florek and eighth grader Ben Puvalowski received nominations for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama.” Nominated for his role as Grandpa Martin Vanderhof, Greg’s calm focus on nostalgia made Grandpa a very believable character, according to Ranney Drama Director Mr. John Doyle. Similarly, Mr. Doyle says Ben’s portrayal of Boris Kolenov required him to develop a strong Russian accent, helping his character to become “larger than life.” Junior Kara Santora was nominated for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama” for her role as Miriam Kirby. Mr. Doyle says Kara’s “excellent facial expressions, high energy, good diction and comic timing” contributed to this outstanding performance.

For the first time, Ranney music teacher Kevin Cotter was nominated for “Outstanding Lighting Design in a Drama.” Mr. Cotter credits Panther Hall’s high-tech lighting system for making his nomination possible. “The capabilities of the new RSPA Panther Hall are boundless, giving the lighting designer full command to design for, and enhance any function held inside our new theater,” Mr. Cotter said, adding that he plans to mentor interested Ranney students so they can learn to design and operate cue sheets for future productions.

The Count Basie Awards presentation will be held this spring at the theatre in Red Bank.

For additional information on all Ranney School news, please contact the Communications Department at communications@ranneyschool.org.