by MATTHEW NASH

Sequim Gazette

Another Sequim High School Operetta received more honors from The 5th Avenue Awards program that recognizes outstanding achievement in high school musical theater.

“Fiddler on the Roof,” which ran three weeks starting during the Sequim Irrigation Festival, earned two nominations and seven honorable mentions for the awards shows held June 8 at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle.

Ben Heintz’s leading role as husband and father Tevye earned a nomination for “Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” and Spencer Neale’s Constable role earned him a nomination for “Outstanding Performance by an Actor or Actress in a Non-Singing Role.”

Director Robin Hall said Heintz is the fourth leading actor from Sequim to be nominated.

“He realized how iconic this role was and that it had to be done right,” Hall said. “He took it really seriously and worked really hard to create this character at rehearsals and off stage while staying true to this character.”

Heintz previously was nominated for “Outstanding Performance by an Actor or Actress in a Non-Singing Role.” in 2012 for his rendition of Mayor Shinn in “The Music Man.”

While Neale received the same nomination this year, Hall said “what people don’t know yet, is that (Neale) has a magnificent voice.”

“I hope to use that in the next couple of years,” she said. “This is the part he wanted. He wanted to play a Russian with a Russian accent and he looked like a Russian constable.”

Sequim’s Honorable Mentions include:

• Orchestra

• Hair and Makeup Design

• Actress in a Leading Role: Victoria Hall as Golde

• Actress in a Featured Ensemble Role: Kaylee Ditlefsen as Fruma-Sarah

• Actor in a Supporting Role: Danny Willis as Fyedka

• Actor in a Featured Ensemble Role: Jared Kneidl as Avram

• Ensemble Group: The Bottle Dancers – Jared Kneidl, Seth Mitchell, David Burgher, Hunter Cauffman.

Victoria Hall is Sequim’s first leading actress to receive any nomination or honorable mention, Robin Hall said.

Last year, Sequim’s “Sound of Music” production received one nomination for outstanding music direction and two honorable mentions for lighting and ensemble group — the Nuns.

Robin Hall said they last won for hair and makeup and for costumes with 2008’s “Wizard of Oz.”

“(Fiddler) was one of the best we’ve done,” Hall said. “We worked really hard and I didn’t feel we had any weak spots in acting.”

Judges made their nominations after reviewing 104 productions. This program shines the spotlight on musical theater similarly to the way sports are regularly celebrated in schools, say 5th Avenue organizers. For a complete listing of this year’s award nominees, visit 5thavenue.org/education/student-programs.

Sequim Operetta Club will celebrate the 50th operetta in 2016 with “Cinderella.” Sequim’s first operetta, “Oklahoma” was performed in 1967.

For more information, visit shsoperetta.org.