La Grande Opera House youth ensemble honored at Junior Theater Festival West

The Opera House Youth Actors of Elgin came back to Oregon carrying a Freddie G. Excellence in Ensemble Work award after performing a 15-minute version of The Little Mermaid Jr. at the Junior Theater Festival in Sugar Land, Texas, June 25-27. Two members, Moss Morris, of La Grande, and Adams, a 2021 Elgin High School graduate, were distinguished as Junior Theater Festival All-Stars for their individual performances.

The ensemble, which draws members from Wallowa County, Union County and Umatilla County, rehearsed the Little Mermaid Jr. excerpt for more than three months before the festival and was one of 50 groups attending in person, with an additional seven groups joining virtually. The group won the Freddie G. award despite a lack of live performances since the COVID-19 pandemic, and director Terry Hale said, “It was really just refreshing to see everything going back to normal and watching our youth participate in a competition like this.” Hale added, “I'm really proud of them because they worked so hard to get there. Half of the group was new and they had to deal with a lot.”

Students from the Opera House Youth Actors attended workshops during the festival to develop skills; Adams described the training and the competitive atmosphere. “It just felt really good to be validated by judges who are professionals,” Adams said. “It was an amazing experience to win, and I'm really proud of everyone who was there.” Adams also highlighted a specific training moment: “We got to do a dance workshop with a dancer for 'Hamilton' on Broadway, and it was so interesting and we all learned a lot,” Adams said.

The Sugar Land festival placed the rural Elgin ensemble on a national stage: the group returned with a named national award and two individual All-Star distinctions, concrete recognition for performing-arts education in small Northeast Oregon communities. The win underscores the sustained commitment of area students and instructors to rebuild performance experience after pandemic-era disruptions and to compete alongside dozens of other youth companies from across the country.