August
Rivers

August Rivers is a senior at South Lakes High School (SLHS) in Reston, VA who finds joy on the stage and strives to spread that joy to the community.  Past roles include Billy Cane in Bright Star, Boy/Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher, Bobby Child in Crazy for You, Ryan in High School Musical the Musical, and Friedrich in The Sound of Music. August was a featured performer in 2022-23 productions of The Nutcracker and Alice in Wonderland staged by the Greater Washington Dance Center in Reston, adding ballet to his dance repertoire of jazz, modern, hip-hop and tap. A competitive gymnast and former level 9 Virginia State Champion on floor and rings, August prides himself on bringing grace and athleticism to the stage. Previous awards include Virginia Thespian Festival Superior Ratings in Solo Musical and Solo Acting (winter 2023), NAfME All-National Honor Choir (fall 2022), Virginia Residential Governor's School (selected for voice, summer 2022), Brandon Victor Dixon Choreography Award (spring 2023), and three-time National Capital Area Cappies winner, Best Male Dancer (for Crazy for You, spring 2022, for Bright Star, spring 2023) and Best Choreography (for Bright Star, spring 2023). This past summer, he was thrilled to serve as Summer Intern for the Mason Community Arts Academy, participated in both Penn State's and Signature Theatre's highly selective musical theatre training programs, and launched Reston Stars, a community service initiative designed to raise money for disadvantaged middle school students to participate in performing arts enrichment programs. In the fall, August will attend Yale College, where he will major in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies.