VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) — Valdosta’s Peach State Summer Theatre (PSST) won nine BroadwayWorld Tallahassee awards, the theatre announced Tuesday, Jan. 20. The wins include Favorite Local Theatre, Best Musical, Best Performer in a Musical and more.

This is the fourth consecutive year PSST has been recognized as the Favorite Local Theatre. The award is presented to a “showstopping” community theatre in the South Georgia and North Florida area.

“This award belongs to the entire PSST family — our artists, staff, students, volunteers, and audiences,” said Hank Rion, artistic director for PSST. “Earning it for a fourth year inspires us to keep raising the bar, to take creative risks, and to remain deeply invested in both artistic excellence and mentorship. It’s a powerful reminder that when a community believes in the work, it pushes us to do even better.”

The PSST was awarded for their 2025 season, which featured productions of “The Wizard of Oz,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” and “A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline.”

In addition to winning Favorite Local Theatre, PSST won the following awards:

• For “The Wizard of Oz,” which opened at PSST on June 27, 2025:
  • Sarah Wildes Arnett won Best Choreography of a Play or Musical
  • Clara Jean Kelley won Best Costume Design of a Play or Musical
  • The entire cast won Best Ensemble
  • John Hemphill, Jr. won Best Lighting Design of a Play or Musical
  • The full production won Best Musical
  • Aubrey Anderson won Best Performer in a Musical
  • Zach Cramer won Best Sound Design of a Play or Musical
• For “Little Shop of Horrors,” which premiered at PSST on June 14, 2025:
  • Hank Rion won Best Direction of a Musical

In addition to these, Peach State Summer Theatre and several individual performers were nominated for other awards, including Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance, and Best Supporting Performer in a Musical.

The Peach State Summer Theatre is a professional summer stock theatre. Summer stock theatres are professional troupes that put on several productions in the summer. They often gather performers and technicians from across the country.

According to a PSST press release, the Georgia Legislature designated PSST as the Official Musical Theatre of the State of Georgia.

PSST announced their 2026 season of productions— two shows, rather than their usual three, because the theatre is transitioning to a new venue. The shows are Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse’s “Anything Goes,” and Tim Rice’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

PSST 2026 will reportedly open on June 5 and run through July 4, 2026. To learn more about the season, performance schedule, and to purchase tickets, visit this link.

To learn more about PSST in general, visit their website here.

The BroadwayWorld awards are regional awards presented by BroadwayWorld.com. Fans are given the chance to vote on winners for 17 categories.

The categories are as follows:

• Best Cabaret/Concert/Solo Performance
• Best Choreography of a Play or Musical
• Best Costume Design of a Play or Musical
• Best Direction of a Musical
• Best Direction of a Play
• Best Ensemble
• Best Lighting Design of a Play or Musical
• Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance
• Best Musical
• Best New Play or Musical
• Best Performer in a Musical
• Best Performer in a Play
• Best Play
• Best Scenic Design of a Play or Musical
• Best Sound Design of a Play or Musical
• Best Supporting Performer in a Musical
• Favorite Local Theatre

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