Forty High Schools Register for Blumenthal's 3rd Annual Blumey Awards

Forty area high schools have already signed up to participate in Blumenthal Performing Art's 3rd annual High School Musical Theater Awards presented by Wells Fargo, marking a 100 percent growth since the popular program's inception in 2012.

"We are thrilled to see such a positive response to the third year of this program," said Education Director Ralph Beck. "Thirty-two area high schools registered on the first day, which is an amazing response and says something about how local theater teachers, schools and students have embraced this opportunity. The strong response continues a pattern of growth seen since the first year of the program, when 20 schools participated," Beck said.

Patterned after Broadway's Tony Awards, The Blumey Awards recognize and celebrate the best in area high school musical theater and provide a showcase for the talents of the students, teachers and administrators behind the productions. Schools eligible to participate are those in Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanley, and Union Counties in North Carolina; Chester, Chesterfield, Lancaster, and York Counties in South Carolina, and include public, private and charter high schools.

The musicals presented by the participating schools are judged by a panel of judges, who score the productions and the lead and supporting actors in multiple categories. At the Blumey Awards celebration on May 18, the winners in each category will be announced, including Wells Fargo Best Musical and Best Actor and Actress. Students from each participating school perform in the production numbers that open and close The Blumey Awards ceremony, while Best Actor and Best Actress and the casts of the Wells Fargo Best Musical Nominees also perform live on the Belk Theater Stage during the show. Last year's Blumey Awards celebration drew quite a crowd with 1,924 in attendance.

Blumenthal has also applied for participation in the National High School Musial Theater Awards in New York in June 2014. If selected, the two students named Best Actor and Best Actress will receive an all-expenses-paid trip and weeklong stay in New York City where they will train and compete with other regional winners in a national competition known as The Jimmy Awards. Blumenthal Best Actress winner from last year, Eva Marie Noblezada from Northwest School of the Arts, was among the finalists for Best Actress in New York.

Registered schools for this year's Blumey Awards include:

A. L. Brown High School

Ardrey Kell High School

Butler High School

Carmel Christian School

Central Academy of Technology and Arts

Central Cabarrus High School

CFA Academy

Charlotte Christian School

Charlotte Country Day School

Charlotte Latin School

Covenant Day School

Cox Mill High School

Crest High School

Cuthbertson High School

East Gaston High School

Gaston Day School

Hickory Ridge High School

Highland School of Technology

Jay M. Robinson High School

Kings Mountain High School

Lake Norman High School

Marvin Ridge High School

Myers Park High School

Nation Ford High School

North Gaston High School

North Lincoln High School

Northwest Cabarrus High School

Northwest School of the Arts

Northwestern High School

Olympic High School

Parkwood High School

Providence Day School

Providence High School

Rocky River High School

South Mecklenburg High School

South Point High School

Southlake Christian Academy

Stuart W. Cramer High School

Sun Valley High School

Weddington High School

ABOUT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS : Blumenthal Performing Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education provider. For more information, call(704) 372-1000 or visit BlumenthalArts.org.