Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Los Angeles has the Oscars; West Point has the Davids. New Horizon Theater in West Point celebrated its end-of-season award ceremony on Tuesday night. The black tie event celebrated the shows and programs put on by the community theater.

Since 2000, the theater has given over $66,000 in scholarship funds to 83 graduating seniors involved in the theater. This year, two names were added to the list of Cliff Glover Scholarship recipients: Lee Bryson and Ava Wilkerson. Funding for the scholarships comes from annual memberships and ticket sales from the holiday production of Once Upon A Time In December.

It is tradition for the theater to award its brightest stars of each season with a David, a small statuette named for the theater’s first artistic director, David O’Keefe.

This year’s winners were:

4 Outstanding Actor (Male or Female) in a Supporting Role: Jimmy James in Whodunnit

4 Outstanding Actor (Male) in a Principal Role: Bill Nixon in Sanders Family Christmas

4 Outstanding Actor (Female) in a Principal Role: Donna Green in Sanders Family Christmas

They also gave out Young Actor Awards to two thespians, James Thomas and Ella Kate. A Director’s Award was given to Donna Downs, the Ticketing Manager, for her service to the theater away from the spotlight.

“[Downs] sits behind our ticket desk with a calm voice on the phone and is the first welcome many of our patrons,” said Amy Guinn, the theater’s Artistic Director. “She balances countless responsibilities with grace and kindness, making sure every seat is filled, every question answered and every guest feels right at home.”

Guinn, who emceed the night, also gave a sneak peek into next season’s shows. Some of the shows will be:

4 James and the Giant Peach (Aug. 22 to 24, 2025)

4 12 Angry Jurors (Oct. 9 to 11, 2025)

4 Anastasia (Dec. 4 to 6, 2025)

4 Once upon a December (Dec. 20, 2025)

4 M*A*S*H (Feb. 19 to 21, 2026)

4 Matilda (April 16 to 18, 2026)

“Theater is not built by spotlights and applause alone, it is built by people; by families who rearrange their schedules for rehearsals; by volunteers who hammer, sew and smile; by directors who dream big and carve out weeks of their lives to see others achieve and exceed their own personal dreams; and by audiences who return again and again to be a part of the story,” Guinn said. “New Horizon Community Theater isn’t just a stage, it’s a home.”