Theatre Under The Stars Will Present the Tommy Tune Awards as an Online Show

By: Apr. 22, 2020
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Theatre Under The Stars Will Present the Tommy Tune Awards as an Online Show

The annual celebration of high school musical theatre in the Greater Houston area, the Tommy Tune Awards, is going online. In response to Harris County's active stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus crisis, event organizer Theatre Under The Stars will live-stream the awards show on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:30PM CST on the Theatre Under The Stars Facebook page and YouTube Channel. The event was originally scheduled to take place at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

"The Tommy Tune Awards is the ultimate celebration of high school musical theatre in our city, with typically over 2,600 young people from across Houston in attendance," said Israel Jimenez, Director of Community Engagement for TUTS. "We knew we had to find a creative way to give these kids a very special evening during this difficult time."

In addition to the announcement of this year's winners during the online event, college scholarships will also be awarded to a talented group of graduating seniors who plan to pursue a career in the arts.

"We'll be featuring at-home performances from local high school students, clips of the productions nominated for Best Musical, and some very special Broadway guests. There will be many surprises during the show," said Olson Scott Kelly, TUTS Artistic Associate and Director of the Tommy Tune Awards show.

Among the Broadway professionals making an appearance during the awards show are Glee alum and Broadway star Alex Newell, stars of the Disney+ series "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," Joe Serafini and Frankie Rodriguez, Tony Award-winning choreographer of Hamilton and In The Heights, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Jeanine Tesori, the Tony Award-winning composer of Fun Home, four-time Tony nominee, and composer of Thoroughly Modern Millie and Shrek the Musical.

"The Tommy Tune Awards offers an opportunity for students and educators to share their creative accomplishments," says Jimenez. "We also hope to instill in young people the value of engaging in the performing arts as a lifelong pursuit."

The Tommy Tune Awards Program celebrates the educational value, artistry, and community of high school musical theatre in the Greater Houston area. After evaluating the 46 participating Houston-area high school productions during the 2019-2020 school year, a team of 36 Houston-based theatre professionals nominated students in 15 award categories. A complete list of the nominees for the 2020 Tommy Tune Awards, visit TUTS.COM/TTA.



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