The characters they become

Mia Berkson and Troy Ainsworth find themselves through theatre

Kurt Johnson

Las Cruces Bulletin

The applause inside Popejoy Hall had barely settled when Mia Lopez Berkson started trying to process what had happened.

Weeks earlier, the recent Organ Mountain High School graduate had been on stage dressed as Scuttle in “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” throwing herself into the role of an ec

centric seabird for laughs. Now she was standing under the lights as the winner of Best Actress at the 2026 Enchantment Awards — New Mexico’s top honor for high school musical theater performers.

Nearby stood fellow Organ Mountain student Troy Ainsworth, who earned Best Supporting Actor for his role as Chef Louis in the same production. Together, the two helped turn Organ Mountain’s theater department into one of the biggest success stories of the state theater season.

For Mia, the stage has been part of life almost from the beginning.

“I’ve been doing theater since I was really young — maybe like 3,” she said. Read More