Mennonite Collegiate Institute's spring musical Beauty and the Beast has picked up a Rainbow Stage Award. The recognition is handed out annually to up to three high school performances in the greater Winnipeg and surrounding areas.

MCI Music Director Rick Heppner-Mueller says the application process for the award was quite simple, and explains that after an application has been submitted a panel of judges will come out and watch the production.

"They will talk with you and ask you questions and usually they're very curious."

He adds the production will then be gauged based on several criteria including the production value, the technology being used and how it's being used, choreography and the music. "All the elements that go into a show."

The panel saw the Saturday matinee show and Heppner-Mueller says by that point the students had a few performances under their belts and the audience was quite responsive that afternoon. He adds overall it was a great experience and interacting with the judges was a pleasure.

"The sense that I got from them is that they were just really enjoying our show and they were impressed with the production value and sort of the artistic pieces that we had thrown in there."

Heppner-Mueller adds having the students aware that the panel was in the audience was a great motivator that afternoon.

He goes on to say that winning this award proves that the school has been working on the right aspects of putting on a production, building a strong community and making everyone feel included.

The Rainbow Stage Award comes with $1,000 that Heppner-Mueller says will be spent on added technology at Buhler Hall.