Apple Awards celebrate another standout year for local high school theater

WENATCHEE — Under the lights of the Numerica Performing Arts Center stage, students from across the Wenatchee Valley gathered May 14 for the 2026 Apple Awards, celebrating a school year filled with rehearsals, backstage nerves, elaborate sets and standing ovations.

The annual event brought together theater students and educators from Wenatchee, Eastmont, Cashmere and Chelan for an evening that felt as much like a reunion as an awards ceremony, with performers swapping stories, cheering for one another and taking one final bow on the season.

Wenatchee High School’s Little Shop of Horrors earned Best Overall Musical, while Eastmont High School’s Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion took home Best Overall Play.

Wenatchee student Kade Devereaux emerged as one of the evening’s biggest winners, earning Lead Performer in a Musical for playing Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors and Lead Performer in a Play for portraying Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest.

Eastmont’s MaryElise Clifton won Lead Performer in a Play for her role as Ms. Marple in Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion, while Cashmere’s Dylan Cornea earned Supporting Performer in a Musical honors for portraying King Sextimus in Once Upon a Mattress.

The night also highlighted the students working behind the curtain.

Wenatchee’s Elana Wendorf received the Stage Manager award for Little Shop of Horrors, while Eastmont student Juno Ha earned an Academy Choice award for Best Utility Player.

Chelan High School student Angel Gomez received the Academy Choice award for Best Dead Body for work in The Mysterious Murder at Manchester Manor, and Eastmont student Jameson Maydole earned a Season Standout award for portraying Batman in Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion.

For many students, the Apple Awards represented more than competition.

It was a celebration of the long hours spent memorizing lines, building sets, learning choreography and finding confidence onstage alongside classmates and friends.

Apple Awards Producer Kylee Boggs said the impact of the program extends far beyond a single night of recognition.

“The impact this program has goes beyond one spectacular event, in ways seen and unseen,” Boggs said in a statement.

Now in its 25th year, the Apple Awards are hosted by the Numerica Performing Arts Center as a regional celebration of high school theater and performing arts programs across North Central Washington.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media