Bulldogs bring home multiple gold medals, at West Coast’s premier high school theatre event
Folsom High School’s theatre program delivered a standout performance on one of the West Coast’s most competitive stages last week, bringing home 14 awards from the annual Lenaea High School Theatre Festival.
The three-day celebration of high school theatre drew approximately 85 schools and more than 2,000 students to compete in acting and technical design categories. About 40 students from Folsom High School’s theatre department participated in events spanning acting, musical theatre, script writing and technical design — and returned home with top honors in nearly every category they entered.
Of the 18 events Folsom competed in, the Bulldogs earned awards in 14, a testament to the strength and depth of the school’s theatre program.
Among the highlights was senior Jovie Carr, who competed in four separate categories — acting, script writing and scenic design among them — and earned gold medals in every category she entered. Carr received gold for Original Script, Scenic Design (with partner Ben Reiman), Duo Scenes (with Emelyn Serrano), and Individual Acting in a One Act. Her sweep across performance and technical disciplines underscored her versatility and leadership within the department.
Carr previously served as student set designer for the fall musical “Descendants” and is set to play the lead in the upcoming spring play “Agatha Rex,” further showcasing her range both behind the scenes and on stage.
In Original Script, Carr earned gold while Rema Alduqmi brought home bronze. Scenic Design proved another strong category for Folsom, with Andrew Warren and Sky Jones winning gold, and Carr and Reiman also capturing gold honors.
Costume Design added three bronze medals for Susannah Nieto, the team of Olivia Pannu and Olivia Cooper, and the duo of Kodi Bryan and Danica Scholz.
Folsom performers also shined in Musical Theatre, where Jazmine Sulcer and Delaney Serrano each earned gold, and Laila Baum took bronze.
Nathaniel Miller earned gold in Student Director, while the Folsom High cast received gold for its One Act Play performance of “Macbeth,” capping off an exceptional weekend of achievement.
Founded in 1956 and inspired by the ancient Greek Lenaea festivals, the Lenaea High School Theatre Festival began as an initiative of Sacramento State College — now California State University, Sacramento — to nurture and elevate high school theatre programs. Since becoming an independent nonprofit organization in 2012, the festival has made its home at the Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College.
Each February, more than 1,700 students from over 70 schools — spanning from Los Angeles to Alaska — gather to compete, collaborate and learn. Students participate in a wide range of categories including monologues, duo scenes, musical theatre solos, one-act plays, original scripts, student direction, costume design and scenic design.
A defining element of Lenaea is its interactive feedback sessions. After each performance or presentation, students receive personalized coaching from professional theatre artists. Actors can immediately experiment with new choices on stage, while designers and writers gain practical insight to refine and elevate their work — an experience that extends beyond competition and into meaningful artistic growth.
In addition to competition, the festival offers lab-style workshops led by actors, directors, designers, producers and university professors. Sessions cover topics ranging from acting, improvisation, Shakespeare and stage combat to dance, vocal technique, playwriting, directing, scenic design and college audition preparation.
For Folsom High School’s theatre students, the latest Lenaea Festival marked not only a weekend of medals and accolades, but a powerful affirmation of their hard work, creativity and commitment to the craft — and a proud moment for the Folsom arts community.
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