Reprinted from the Collinsville Daily News April 13, 2023
Laila Hutchison Performs in School of Rock
CHS Freshman Laila Hutchison Is Arts For Life Best Performance Award (BPA) Nominee
COLLINSVILLE – Collinsville High School Freshman, Laila Hutchison, is an Arts For Life Best Performance Award (BPA) nominee. Hutchison has been nominated in the Best Featured Actress category for her role as Tomika in Curtain’s Up Theater Company’s production of “School of Rock.”
The show, which originally debuted in May of 2022, was such a hit in the community that a second run of the show took place in August of the same year. Hutchison, under the direction of Carol Hodson, reprised the role of Tomika in the second run as well.
Hutchison said, “Not many people realize the amount of time, effort, and teamwork that goes into putting a show together unless they have been a part of it before. From the crew to the pit to the production team to the box office to the actors and so on, every single day every person commits to giving the show their best and their everything.
“I’m appreciative that Arts For Life has created a space to recognize and celebrate the hard work of so many in our community theatre community. We are really blessed to have a flourishing community theater scene in the St. Louis-Metro East — with some truly tremendous companies like Curtain’s Up Theatre Company and Looking Glass Playhouse in our backyards.”
Hutchison says, “Theatre is such a rewarding thing to be part of. You make new friends, you have the opportunity to learn from the unbelievably talented actors and actresses you share the stage with, you get to put on costumes and makeup and transform into someone totally different than you, you work under the guidance of phenomenal directors, you connect with a new audience every night, and you learn so much about yourself and the world and empathy in the process.”
Hutchison’s mom, Ali Cummins, said that, “Laila gives all of herself to any role she has the opportunity to play. She loves getting on stage and bringing a character — especially one who is so different from herself, like Tomika – to life. We are all very proud of her.”
One of six actresses nominated in the Best Featured Actress Category, Hutchison will attend an awards ceremony hosted by Arts for Life on July 2nd at the Florissant Performing Arts Center.
Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit Arts organization that highlights the accomplishment of actors and actresses in the St. Louis-Metro East community. According to their website, “Nominations for the community theatre awards are done by a special committee of theatre critics, drama teachers, music and voice teachers, and professional performers or artists…The committee reviews each of the musical theatre productions as an audience members and scores each participant in each category.”