At the 2026 Orpheum’s High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Draco Playhouse production of Water for Elephants won in four major categories. Please join us in congratulating the following student actors:

Best Lead Actor - Hayden Hooper

Best Lead Actress - Maggie Dinstuhl

Best Supporting Actor - Jordan Farley

Best Featured Dancer - Addison Northcott

Hayden and Maggie will both move on to compete in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmys) in June in NYC on the stage of the Minskoff Theatre.

CHS received the second highest number of awards out of the 48 schools competing. This is the first time in the 18-year history of the local awards that Best Actor and Best Actress are both from the same school. The Orpheum’s Awards cover schools in a four-state region. Way to go Dragons!