LACONIA ― On Saturday, nearly 60 members of Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative got dressed up in their finest and made the trek to the Capital Center for the Arts in Concord for the 21st Annual New Hampshire Theatre Alliance Theatre Awards. Powerhouse was a semi-finalist in over 20 categories in the community theater division for its two entered 2025 shows, "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
For the third year in a row, Powerhouse took home the top prize for Best Community Musical for its production of "Hunchback" last spring. In addition, "Hunchback" was recognized for direction (Meg King and Bryan Halperin), music direction (Laura Iwaskiewicz and Jillian Spring), and two supporting actors (Jakob Stone as Frollo and Alex Hunton as Phoebus).
"The Diary of Anne Frank" was a runner-up for Best Production to "Escanaba in da Moonlight" produced by The Village Players in Wolfeboro. Halperin was recognized for direction again, and Tyler Soucy won the award for lighting.
These directing awards bring Halperin’s total to 10 in the 20-plus years he has been directing professional, community and youth theater in New Hampshire, and four for Powerhouse in the last three years.
“Being recognized for direction is definitely a reflection of the people around you, both onstage and behind the scenes, helping you to achieve your vision," said Bryan Halperin. "At Powerhouse, I’m surrounded by talent making me look good, and while I appreciate the statewide recognition, I more appreciate the experiences themselves of working with my talented friends and sharing these stories with our community on the beautiful Colonial Theatre stage.”
Powerhouse will participate in the 2026 NHTA’s as well, entering the NH premiere of the musical, "The Magician’s Elephant" in May, and the play "Peter and the Starcatcher" in October.
Tickets for these shows, as well as all of Powerhouse’s 2026 Colonial Series shows, are already on sale via coloniallaconia.com or powerhousenh.org.
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