Nelson High School Students Earned Several Major Awards at the Drama Fest Provincial Finals.

By Eric Stern

May 30th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The National Theatre School  Drama Fest Provincial Showcase took place from May 20 to May 23^rd, at York University with Nelson High School’s entry, Disconnected, competing in the showcase.

Two students from Nelson, August Frade and Cecelia Sheehan, won the prestigious Ken & Ann Watts Scholarships: It will contribute $3,000 for each student towards post-secondary education.

Disconnect won two awards, with Cecelia Sheehan receiving an “Outstanding Achievement Award” for choreography and Elijah Moore receiving a Mira award for Innovative Design.

Congratulations to all the Burlington students who participated in the district, regional, and provincial festivals.

Three Burlington high schools participated in the Drama Fest

Nelson High School, DisconnectedM.

MM Robinson High School, No Cause for Concern

Burlington Central High School, The 146 Point Flame

The awards handed out by the NTS DramaFest Provincial Showcase for 2026.

Adjudicator – Mike Payette

Venue Coordinator – M Graham 

KEN & ANN WATTS SCHOLARSHIPS

Cecelia Sheehan, Nelson H.S. (Burlington, ON)

Simon Bilmer, O’Neill C.V.I., (Oshawa, ON)

August Frade, Nelson H.S., (Burlington, ON)

Galen Armbruster, Erin D.H.S. (Erin, ON)

KEN & ANN WATTS BURSARIES 

Clara Christopher, Loyalist C.V.I. (Kingston, ON)

Gabrielle Cudmore, Greater Fort Erie S.S. (Fort Erie, ON)

Tia Cahill-Easton, McKinnon Park S.S. (Caledonia, ON)

WAYNE FAIRHEAD NEW PLAY AWARD

Our Roots of Patience by Maahrukh Adeel Ahmed, Cedarbrae C.I. (Toronto, ON)

STAGE MANAGEMENT AWARD

Greta Zoethout (John F. Ross C.V.I), Here’s What You Missed

SPIRIT OF THE FESTIVAL

The Way Home (Wallaceburg D.S.S.)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS:   

Stage Combat : There Is No Play (Bowmanville H.S.)

Direction: Here’s What You Missed (John F. Ross C.V.I.), Quincy Kavanagh & Grace McGinnis

Scenography: The Way Home (Wallaceburg D.S.S.)

Choreography: Exstrophy (St. Patrick C.S.S.), Julia Doria & Maya Marles Hart

Choreography:  Disconnected (Nelson S.S.), Cecilia Sheehan

Choral Work: The 146 Point Flame (Chippewa S.S.)

Vocal Work: Mere Mortals (West Ferris S.S.)

The Turn Back Time Award: Our Roots of Patience (Cedarbrae C.I.) – For excellent exploration of time devices and shifting between timelines and geographies

LOL (Laugh Out Loud Award): The End (The Woodlands School), Jeff Zhang

LOL (Laugh Out Loud Award): The Seven (Loyalist C.V.I), August Fulkner

Thunderbolt Award: Entre les linges (E.S.C. EJ Lajeunesse)  – For a shocking, powerful moment onstage

The Best Line Award:  The Call to 10 Fires (Lorne Park S.S.)

MIRA AWARDS:  

Dramaturgy:  Exstrophy (St. Patrick C.S.S.), Chloe Fleisher

Stage Presence: The 146 Point Flame (Chippewa S.S.), Lily Gilbert

Monologue: The End (The Woodlands School), Hector Acioli Matos

Innovative Design: Disconnected (Nelson S.S.), Elijah Moore

Composition: Entres le lignes (E.S.C. EJ Lajeunesse), Robert Rousseau & Brady Dessurault

Outstanding Performance: The Way Home (Wallaceburg D.S.S.), Angel Williams

The National Theatre School, located in Montreal, took over the operation of the Drama Awards in 2017 when Sears (the department store) dropped out of the sponsorship.

The Drama Fest first took place in 1946

The author, Eric Sterns, is a co-founder of Focus Burlington.  A granddaughter took part in the play Disconnected