Pella Christian High School’s Theatre Troupe recently earned seven awards from the Iowa High School Musical Theatre Awards Showcase and will be honored Monday evening, June 6, 2016 at the Des Moines Performing Arts Civic Center.

A panel of adjudicators, including performing arts professionals and educators, awarded PCHS’s fall production of “West Side Story” with an Outstanding Musical Production. Only eight schools across Iowa were selected with this award, the top honor presented by the Showcase, which will allow PCHS the opportunity to perform a stand-alone full cast excerpt at the evening’s ceremony in Des Moines. Other honors from the production include: Joel Larson (as Tony) and Jimmy Beyer (as Bernardo) with Outstanding Performances in a Principal Role, Kara Zondervan (as Maria) with Special Recognition for a Performance in a Principal Role, and Michael Vander Wal (as Doc) with Special Recognition for a Performance in a Supporting Role. In addition, the musical also earned an Outstanding Featured Ensemble award for the Jets in “Officer Krupke”. Lastly, Joel Larson was nominated to audition for a spot in representing Iowa in late June at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City.