Four Talon Theatre Students Up for Prestigious Honor at MACY Awards

Four Talon Theatre students have been nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress at the upcoming Spirit of the MACY Awards. This nomination is a significant recognition in high school musical theatre. The MACY Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in musical theatre across Southern California high schools, and the lead acting categories are among the most prestigious honors. A nomination typically means that adjudicators recognized the student as one of the strongest leading musical theatre performers in the region that season. 

The following Santa Margarita students are up for Best Actor and Actress:

Joseph Calvo ’28 as Orpheus, Hadestown: Teen Edition

Jasmine Ortiz ’26 as Eurydice, Hadestown: Teen Edition

Ryan Nouri ’26 as Vlad Popov, Anastasia

Emory Ratzlaff ’27 as Countess Lily, Anastasia 

These nominations are especially meaningful because students are considered alongside performers from dozens of schools and productions across Southern California. It reflects excellence in a highly competitive field. 

Our four nominees will undergo an extensive callback process for the MACY committee to identify the best actor and best actress in the region in high school theatre. The winner of each of these categories is announced at the Spirit of the MACY Awards Show on May 23. The winner will represent our region at the Jimmy Awards—a prominent annual award ceremony that recognizes extraordinary high school musical theatre talent across the country— in New York City this summer.

Congratulations, Joseph, Jasmine, Ryan, and Emory! We are incredibly proud of each of you.