2011 SpotLight Student Winners Represent MN at Nat'l Awards

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced that two SpotLight Award-winning students, Sarah Cartwright of Eastview High School in Apple Valley and Ryan McCartan of Minnetonka High School, were selected to represent Minnesota at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards to be held at 7:30 p.m., Monday, June 27, 2011, at the Minskoff Theatre, 1535 Broadway in New York City. The results were announced during the Trust's June 6 SpotLight Showcase in Minneapolis, a celebration honoring students from 47 Minnesota high schools for excellence in musical theatre.

Cartwright and McCartan participate through their high schools in Hennepin Theatre Trust's flagship educational initiative, the SpotLight Musical Theatre Program. The two were chosen through a vigorous series of auditions and evaluations that resulted in their being selected as SpotLight Triple Threat Award winners, an honor that includes the privilege of going forward to the National Awards. They and their parents will travel to New York courtesy of the Trust and Sun Country Airlines. As part of the national process, Cartwright and McCartan will get private coaching, participate in master classes and rehearsals and compete for the opportunity to receive the national Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Actor. Students also receive opportunities for merit scholarships, professional advancement and other prizes. For more information, visit www.nhsmta.com.

Biographical Information:
Sarah Cartwright is a 2011 graduate from Eastview High School in Eagan, Minnesota, where she was an active member of the theatre department, participating in at least fourteen productions. Her favorite roles include Zaneeta Shinn in the Music Man, Annie in Annie and most recently Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Cartwright also plays the flute, was a Minnesota All-State Choir Participant and a Dorian Music Festival Solo Finalist, studies ballet, tap, jazz and modern dance and received the Harvard Book Award for Excellence in Academics and the Arts. Her other acting credits include frequent performances with the Eagan Community Theatre and the role of Baby Louise in Theater Latté Da's production of Gypsy. This year marked her fourth and final appearance at the SpotLight Showcase, where she received her second Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role honor, in addition to the Triple Threat Award. Other theatre honors include the 2010 Minnesota Scholar of Distinction in Theatre Arts and multiple Star Ratings at the Minnesota One Act Play State Competition. This fall 2011, Cartwright will attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois to study acting.

Ryan McCartan lives in Excelsior and is a 2011 graduate of Minnetonka High School where he was very active in his Drama Department, the SpotLight Musical Theatre Program and in community productions. McCartan started his professional career at age eight, playing at the Great American History Theater. He has continued to work extensively in the Twin Cities area including productions at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, the History Theatre, Seussical at The Children's Theatre Company and The Master Butchers Singing Club and Little House on the Prairie at the Guthrie Theatre. McCartan has been selected for the Guthrie/University of Minnesota BFA program beginning fall 2011 and was recently named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of 20 high school students selected nationally to receive the award and one of only two winners in theater. It is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an artistically talented graduating senior. The Scholars will be honored at a White House Ceremony on June 19, with the artists performing at the Kennedy Center on June 20. For more information visit: youngarts.org/presidential-scholars-arts.

The two 2010 students who represented Minnesota at last year's National High School Musical Theatre Awards are Nathaniel Irvin who graduated last year from Minnetonka High School and is studying musical theatre at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and Haley Kurr, who graduates this year from Wayzata High School and will be studying music education at Taylor University in Indiana.

The 2011 national representatives, Cartwright and McCartan, who are also recipients of the new SpotLight Triple Threat Award, were chosen from this group of Triple Threat finalists: Danny Adams, Totino Grace High School; Sharayah Bunce, Maple Grove High School; Caleb Craig, Andover High School; Trevor Larson, Moorhead High School; Will Lidke, Edina High School; Maeve Moynihan, Edina High School; Kelsey Peterjohn, Minnetonka High School; Dan Piering, Wayzata High School; Amanda Casselton, Moorhead High School; and Bailey Richardson of Eagan High School.

HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST, owner of the historic State, Orpheum and Pantages Theatres, is a non-profit organization devoted to enriching the vibrant cultural atmosphere of the Twin Cities. The Trust's activities include Broadway touring productions, concerts, comedy, speakers and other variety entertainment plus educational initiatives including the SpotLight Musical Theatre Program for high schools, the Broadway Confidential series, Critical View student reviewer program, Teen Ushers, the Access Program and Kids' Night. For more information, go to HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.