Two Students Selected to Represent Center Stage Awards in New York City

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center is proud to announce the Center Stage High School Musical Theater Awards recipients of Best Actress and Best Actor. Liz Valentin of Green Bay West High School and Felix Torrez of Green Bay Southwest High School will represent the program at the Jimmy Awards in New York City this June at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre.

Nominated for their leading performances at their high school and chosen through a separate audition process at the Center, they will represent the Center Stage Awards at the national level and have the opportunity to audition for scholarships, learn from professionals in a week of workshops and perform on stage at the Minskoff Theatre (currently the Broadway home to Disney's The Lion King).

Liz Valentin was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress for her role as Doralee in Green Bay West's production of 9 to 5. Liz is a senior at West and has also appeared in Phantom of the Opera and Little Women at the school.

Felix Torrez was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actor for his role as Beast in Green Bay Southwest's production of Beauty and the Beast. Felix is a junior at Southwest and has also appeared in Miss Saigon with Next Stage Productions and The Neverending Story with Evergreen Productions.

See the performer's headshots and full biographies in the Media Resource Room at foxcitiespac.com.

ABOUT THE 2016-17 CENTER STAGE AWARDS

Throughout the 2016-17 school year, 14 local high schools have participated in the Center Stage High School Musical Theater Awards program, an education initiative that celebrates and supports the achievements of high school theater programs in Northeastern Wisconsin.

During the program, participating students had the opportunity to attend six workshops at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center with professional touring artists to learn, ask questions and try new things to give them a deeper understanding of professional theater.

A team of adjudicators have attended each participating school's musical production and provided educational feedback, ultimately voting for the recipients of the first Center Stage Awards. Scores for each production were tabulated and the top four qualifiers were nominated to represent their school at the official showcase. All qualifying nominees were recognized with an award in their category. A full list of nominees can be found on the Center's website.

Participating high schools in the inaugural year included: Appleton East, Berlin, Chilton, Fox Valley Lutheran, Green Bay Preble, Green Bay Southwest, Green Bay West, Hortonville, Kimberly, Luxemburg-Casco, Mishicot, Neenah, Oshkosh North and St. Mary Catholic.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

The Center Stage High School Musical Theater Awards program is an educational initiative of the Fox Cities P.A.C. with additional support from corporate partners Fox Communities Credit Union and The Post-Crescent.

Additional partners in this program include workshop and rehearsal partner Schneider Foundation, social media partner Nicolet National Bank, Community Engagement Award partner Wipfli, LLP, and sound, lighting and production partner Lighthouse Productions.

This program is also funded in part by a grant from the Jewelers Mutual Charitable Giving Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and by a Community Impact Grant from 91.1 The Avenue.

A BOUT THE JIMMY AWARDS

The Jimmy® Awards/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards™ (NHSMTA) impacts more than 50,000 students who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of Touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. A Best Actress and Best Actor winner from each of these competitions is sent to New York for a week-long theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase on Broadway, where a panel of judges crowns the nation's top performers. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $1,000,000 in educational scholarships. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, the ninth annual Jimmy® Awards will take place on Monday, June 26, 2017 at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Coaching and rehearsals for this one-of-a-kind event will be held Monday, June 19, 2017 through Monday, June 26, 2017 in New York City. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.

ABOUT THE FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and cultural education organization located in downtown Appleton, provides a premier venue for live performing arts. Since 2002, the Center has proudly served as a gathering place for the community to engage in educational opportunities while enhancing a greater understanding and appreciation of life through the live performing arts. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center - Where the Arts Come Alive!