B'way San Jose Joins The Stage Co To Send The Honor Award Winners To Broadway

San Jose Stage Company and Broadway San Jose are pleased to announce their community partnership to send the local winners for Outstanding Performance by an Actress and Actor in a Musical to participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards 2010 JIMMY Awards and compete for $10,000 to further their education, as well as eligibility for four-year merit and need-based scholarship assistance to attend the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama, Undergraduate at New Studio on Broadway: Music Theatre and Acting, contingent upon acceptance into the program. Broadway San Jose has agreed to underwrite all participation fees and the expenses related to sending the Winners of San Jose Stage Company's Top Honor Awards to compete in New York, and see it as an integral part of its overall desire to support and celebrate the talent that comes from this community.

The two Top Honor Award winners will get an all-expenses-paid trip to the Big Apple with the opportunity to participate in intensive theatre workshops with top industry professionals and to perform on a Broadway stage in front of a national panel of judges at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards. Their chance-of-a-lifetime experience will be sponsored by Broadway San Jose, the South Bay stop for nationally touring Broadway shows, and will be announced at a ceremony at the California Theatre on June 7.

"We are thrilled to be working with San Jose Stage Company and to be sending two of the top Bay Area high school students to New York to perform on a Broadway stage. It's very exciting! We know that the Bay Area has extraordinary talent in the performing arts and it's time to share it with the rest of Broadway," says Ruth Pangilinan, General Manager of Broadway San Jose.

Broadway San Jose is among nineteen other professional theater programs participating in NHS Musical Theatre Awards. The winners will be awarded $10,000 to further their education, as well as eligibility for four-year merit and need-based scholarship assistance to attend the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama, Undergraduate at New Studio on Broadway: Music Theatre and Acting, contingent upon acceptance into the program. The 2nd Annual NHS Musical Theatre Awards will take place at the Marquis Theatre in New York this June. Successfully launched last year, the NHS Musical Theatre Awards is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement in high school musical theater.

Nicknamed "The Jimmy Awards" after James Nederlander, Sr., this program recognizes individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance, and also honors teachers and their schools' commitment to excellence in performing arts education. Established by the Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances, the NHS Musical Theatre Awards receive support from the National Endowment of the Arts, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Camp Broadway, Playbill, and SenovvA. For more information or to make a gift to arts education, please contact Broadway San Jose at 408-792-4571.

Broadway San Jose - A Nederlander Presentation in association with Team San Jose proudly brings seven top Broadway shows to San Jose next season, beginning with BURN THE FLOOR (September 21-26, 2010). The line-up continues with RAIN - A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES (October 26-31, 2010), THE COLOR PURPLE (November 23-28, 2010), GREASE (Jan. 18-23, 2011), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (March 15-20, 2011), STOMP (April 12-17, 2011) and MAMMA MIA! (June 7-12, 2011). Broadway San Jose is a part of the national Nederlander Organization, a family-owned business since 1912. For further information on Nederlander, visit www.nederlander.com. For more information on Team San Jose, visit www.sanjose.org.

San Jose Stage San Jose Stage Company's Top Honor Awards will take place at The California Theatre, 345 South First Street, downtown San Jose, on Monday, June 7th at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available by calling San Jose Stage Company's box office at 408.283.7142 or at The Stage's website at www.thestage.org.

The Awards recognize excellence in High School Musical Theater in the Bay Area. The program is spearheaded by San Jose Stage Company's Director of Education Spencer Williams, who has served as an adjudicator for the Papermill Playhouse's "Rising Star" program in New Jersey.

"The talent that we saw in high schools across the Bay Area was superb and I'm so happy that they will be given a chance to shine in New York City," said Spencer Williams.

Randall King, Artistic Director and one of the judges, adds, "We are proud to be working with Broadway San Jose in this innovative partnership to support the arts in our community. Seeing these great students competing and performing on a National level will be extremely gratifying for us. We are proud that together we can make this happen. These 15 schools show an amazing level of talent in all disciplines of theatre, and we are eager to recognize the hard work and achievements of these students and educators."

Each of the participating schools productions were visited by Working Theatre professionals encompassing all aspects of the Theatre. Directors, Actors, Designers, Musicians, and Stage Managers attended the productions and through these visits, prepared extensive evaluations that were then shared with the educators and students. These evaluations then led to the nominations announced today. The program culminates in a "Tony Awards Style" presentation, with the five schools nominated for Best Overall Musical Production performing on stage in the beautiful California Theatre, home to The Stage Company's 2005 and 2006 productions of "Idols of The King".

The nominees are:

BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN:
• Katy Boggs, Joyce Cave and Charlie Royce - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Felicia Ong - Aida - Irvington High School
• Not Specified - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Katya Austin - Fiddler on the Roof - The King's Academy
• Not Specified - Oklahoma! - Mission San Jose High School
• Not Specified - Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School

BEST HAIR/MAKE-UP DESIGN:
• Lisa Cross - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Sundee Medeiros - Aida - Irvington High School
• Nora Scofield and Laren Saboff - Fiddler on the Roof - The King's Academy
• Robin Mendolia and Lisa Kester - Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School
• Jean Cardinale and Candice Badua - Urinetown - Woodside Priory High School

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
• Troy River, Dawn River, Felicia Gold, Leigh Ann Gilson - The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee - American High School
• Lisa Cross, Lisa Milano, Jeanne McCaleb - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Karen Brady - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Tammy Davies and Amanda Craine - Into the Woods - Westmont High School
• Jean Cardinale - Urinetown - Woodside Priory High School
• Karin Nilo and Priya Krishnakumar - You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown - Cupertino
High School

LIGHTING DESIGN:
• Chad Bonaker - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Ryan Willer - Aida - Irvington High School
• Natti Pierce-Thomson - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Noah Price and Erik Danford - Fiddler on the Roof - The King's Academy
• Matt McGill - Into the Woods - Westmont High School
• Natti Perce-Thomson - Les Miserables - The Harker School

SCENIC DESIGN:
• Troy River - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - American High School
• Daniel Cadigan - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Fred Alim - Aida - Irvington High School
• Devin Bertsch - Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School
• Keith Drotar - Urinetown - Woodside Priory High School
• Max Wolbach, Arcadia Conrad, Sam Ahmed and Max Pommier - You're a Good Man,
Charlie Brown - Cupertino High School

DIRECTION:
• Troy River - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - American High School
• Doug Santana - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Jeff Bengford - Into the Woods - Westmont High School
• Bill Starr - Lucky Stiff - Wilcox High School
• John Sugden - Urinetown - Woodside Priory High School

CHOREOGRAPHY:
• Robyn Tribuzi - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Lauren Benjamin - Aida - Irvington High School
• Anethra Moura - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Tiffany Woods and Rachelle Taylor - Fame - Piedmont Hills High School
• Kevin Hammond - Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School

MUSICAL DIRECTION:
• Shawn Reifschneider - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Daina Joly - Aida - Irvington High School
• Mason Kimont - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Catherine Snider - Les Miserables - The Harker School
• Dave Hook - Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School

ORCHESTRA:
• Mason Kimont - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Dave Gregoric - Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School
• Eileen Dimminger - Urinetown - Woodside Priory High School

CHORUS:
• 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Fame - Piedmont Hills High School
• Into the Woods - Westmont High School
• Les Miserables - The Harker School

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS/ACTOR:
• Madison Boggs ("Anytime Annie" Reilly) - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• David Visini (Andy Lee) - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Erin Garcia (Jolene Oaks) - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Arielle Fletcher (Fruma Sarah) - Fiddler on the Roof - The King's Academy
• John Ammatuna (Enjolras) - Les Miserables - The Harker School
• Kyle Linton (Body of Tony Henden) - Lucky Stiff - Wilcox High School

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
• Anna Crosetti (Dorothy Brock) - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Sarah Bernosky (Muriel Eubanks) - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High
School
• Marisa Scofield (Tzeitel) - Fiddler on the Roof - The King's Academy
• Leah Marie Cohen (Little Red Ridinghood) - Into the Woods - Westmont High School
• Olivia Norman (Lina Lomont) - Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
• Manuel Barrera (Leaf Coneybear) - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee -
American High School
• Nicholas Wetherbee (Billy Lawlor) - 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Ryan Meyer (Andre Thibeault) - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High
School
• James Seifert (Marius) - Les Miserables - The Harker School
• Scott Kavanagh (Will Parker) - Oklahoma! - Mission San Jose High School

BEST LEADING ACTOR:
• Jeremy Griffith (Vice Principal Douglas Panch) - The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee - American High School
• James M. Jones (Radames) - Aida - Irvington High School
• Jaemyeong Lee (Billy Crocker) - Anything Goes - Saratoga High School
• Matt Hill (Freddy Benson) - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Tad Cruz (Tevye) - Fiddler on the Roof - The King's Academy
• Alex Willis (Harry Witherspoon) - Lucky Stiff - Wilcox High School

BEST LEADING ACTRESS:
• Devon Simpson (Olive Ostrovsky) - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee -
American High School
• Katherine Dela Cruz (Aida) - Aida - Irvington High School
• Nila Le (Serena Katz) - Fame - Piedmont Hills High School
• Rachel Graves (The Baker's Wife) - Into the Woods - Westmont High School
• Christina Lea (Annabel Glick) - Lucky Stiff - Wilcox High School
• Veronique Filloux (Hope Cladwell) - Urinetown - Woodside Priory High School

BEST OVERALL PRODUCTION:
• 42nd Street - San Mateo High School
• Aida - Irvington High School
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School
• Urinetown - Woodside Priory High School

TOP HONOR NOMINATIONS BY PRODUCTION:
• 42nd Street - San Mateo High School - (13)
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Archbishop Mitty High School - (13)
• Aida - Irvington High School - (9)
• Singing in the Rain - Valley Christian High School - (8)
• Fiddler on the Roof - The King's Academy - (7)
• Into the Woods - Westmont High School - (7)
• Urinetown - Woodside Priory High School - (7)
• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - American High School - (6)
• Les Miserables - The Harker School - (5)
• Lucky Stiff - Wilcox High School - (4)
• Fame - Piedmont Hills High School - (3)
• Oklahoma! - Mission San Jose High School - (2)
• You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown - Cupertino High School - (2)
• Anything Goes - Saratoga High School - (1)

ABOUT THE STAGE

Founded in 1983, San Jose Stage Company is recognized as The Bay Area's Premiere Off-Broadway Theatre, and known for its devotion to new and cutting-edge work and for its commitment to showcasing high-quality local talent. In 1986, San Jose Stage Company set precedence as the first arts organization to negotiate and receive support from the Redevelopment Agency and the City of San Jose when over $500,000 was appropriated in support of the development of a new 200-seat theatre featuring a 3/4-thrust stage, which opened in 1990. Now in its 27th Season, SJSC continues to center its operations in this facility and has successfully produced over 130 productions and premiered 39 new works, including 9 world premieres and is acclaimed for maintaining high artistic standards, investing in local talent and supporting the region's community of working artists while taking artistic risks. In addition to its core programming, San Jose Stage Company offers five core education and outreach programs and has housed over 200 independent performance groups. San Jose Stage Company is a vital force in the community and has earned a reputation for artistic excellence by providing high-quality, edgy theatrical experiences that engage, educate and provoke audiences. San Jose Stage Company serves an audience base of 25,000 and is recognized as a leader in the arts for a theatre of its size.