Curtain Call on an Award-Winning Season

Suffield Academy’s Performing Arts Department closed out its spring season with a high-energy production of Moon Over Buffalo, a fast-paced farce set in 1953 that follows a struggling theatre company whose hopes of success hinge on impressing a visiting director. What unfolds instead is a whirlwind of collapsing relationships, spiraling egos, slamming doors, mistaken intentions, and nonstop theatrical chaos—exactly the kind of controlled disorder that defines farce.

Performed in the Jeanice Seaverns Performing Arts Center, the production demanded precision, stamina, and full commitment from its cast. Director Tom Dugan said farce is “one of the hardest forms of theater to pull off well,” noting that success depends on total buy-in from performers, where timing is everything and even a split second can shift the impact of a joke.

“This cast has attacked it with incredible energy, precision, and fearlessness every single day,” Tom said. “Doors slam. Tempers explode. It is organized theatrical chaos, and when it works, there is nothing funnier.”

The production asked its actors to sustain constant motion—sprinting through entrances and exits, executing rapid physical comedy, and maintaining emotional stakes even as situations became increasingly absurd. The result was a tightly choreographed comedy that thrived on timing, trust, and total commitment to the chaos.

The success of Moon Over Buffalo and this year’s musical, Be More Chill, was also recognized beyond campus this spring through nominations and awards from both the Stephen Sondheim Awards and the Halo Awards.

At the Sondheim Awards, Suffield earned three nominations, including Best Musical for Be More Chill. Sean Atkins ’26 was nominated for Best Actor for his performance as Jeremy Heere, while Seamus Sullivan ’26, Lia Bazarian ’27, and Max Depelteau ’28 received recognition for Outstanding Stage Management.

At this year’s Halo Awards, Suffield Academy received 15 nominations across acting, technical theater, choreography, and production categories, ultimately earning two wins. Seamus Sullivan ’26, Lia Bazarian ’27, and Max Depelteau ’28 won Best Stage Management for Be More Chill, while Sean Atkins ’26 earned Best Performance in a Leading Male Role in a Contemporary Play for his portrayal of George Hay in Moon Over Buffalo.

Additional Halo nominations recognized performances by Ezra Mendes ’26, Mari McCarthy ’26, Delainey Pappas ’27, Sabrina Plaz ’27, and Arhenis Salcedo ’27, along with honors for lighting, sound, running crew, dancing, and both productions overall.

For the senior cast members, the productions also marked a final bow on the Suffield stage, featuring final performances from Sean Atkins ’26, Mari McCarthy ’26, Seamus Sullivan ’26, and Ezra Mendes ’26—students whose leadership and artistry helped define an exceptional season for Suffield Performing Arts.