Highlander Nominated for Prestigious Stephen Sondheim Award
![Portia in Matilda, The Musical]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1777932532/gunneryorg/u54xrgheq8gslayvevwj/DSC_2054.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1777932532/gunneryorg/u54xrgheq8gslayvevwj/DSC_2054.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1777932532/gunneryorg/u54xrgheq8gslayvevwj/DSC_2054.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1777932532/gunneryorg/u54xrgheq8gslayvevwj/DSC_2054.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1777932532/gunneryorg/u54xrgheq8gslayvevwj/DSC_2054.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1777932532/gunneryorg/u54xrgheq8gslayvevwj/DSC_2054.jpg","width":2200}])
Highlander Nominated for Prestigious Stephen Sondheim Award
Congratulations to Portia Ntem-Mensah ’28 of the Gunn Theatre Program, who is nominated for a 2026 Stephen Sondheim Award. Ntem-Mensah is nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her role as the nice librarian, Mrs. Phelps, in Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical. Ntem-Mensah will attend this year’s regional awards gala, honoring outstanding productions, performances, and participation, on Sunday, May 9, at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven.
The Stephen Sondheim Awards are the premier high school musical theater awards for young theatremakers in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
“This is our first year participating in the Sondheim Awards and we look forward to doing so in years to come,” said Kent Burnham P’29, Director of Theatre Arts. “The awards focus on musicals only and it's highly competitive. I'm excited for our theatre program to be actively involved in the Sondheims, and for the students to witness the outstanding work from their peers.”
A dozen Highlanders, led by Burnham, will accompany Ntem-Mensah to the awards ceremony. Matilda The Musical was presented February 19, 20, and 21, 2026, in the Tisch Family Auditorium of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center.
In his program note, Burnham said: "Matilda celebrates the power of the creative imagination, a love of reading, and the courage that allows us to stand up for ourselves and others when an injustice occurs. The play also shares insight into the strength that comes from having an educator who believes in you, or a place to find solace and connect with your dreams, and friends who will stand by you and with you when you say, ‘That’s not right.’ Standing up for what’s right matters.”
About the Sondheim Awards
The Stephen Sondheim Awards are presented in affiliation with the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmy Awards®), celebrating excellence in high school musical theatre. Nominees must meet professional standards for an Approved Musical and a Qualifying Role and student designers are required to submit a portfolio of their work. Winners in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories will advance to The Jimmy Awards, which will be presented June 22, 2026, at the Minskoff Theatre in New York City. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, The Jimmy Awards program has been the catalyst for more than $9 million in educational scholarships since its launch in 2009, and over 90 alumni have performed on Broadway and in National Tours, according to the organization's website.
Photo by Rebecca Tocci