Winners Announced for the 2025 Roger Rees Awards

Earlier tonight, talented students from across New York City gathered at Symphony Space for the Roger Rees Awards, hosted by Kevin Del Aguila. The winners of Outstanding Performance in a Musical were Jack Ceglie (Lynbrook, NY) and Gloria Manning (St. Albans, NY). Manning, representing the Professional Performing Arts School (New York County), won for her performance of Natasha in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812; Ceglie, representing Long Island High School for the Arts (Nassau County), won for his performance of Bobby Strong in Urinetown.

Additionally, Robert Silverstein and Grace Kiamie were named Emerging Artist winners. Other finalists included: William Herbert, Haley Polidore, Jack Chambers, Haylie Christiano, Joel Crump, Winter Donnelly, Tyler Landusky, Eliana Panoff. The Starcatcher Award went to Kelsy Vargas.

This year’s nominees represented 80 high schools across 13 counties including the Bronx, Dutchess, Kings (Brooklyn), Nassau, New York (Manhattan), Orange, Putnam, Queens, Rockland, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester.

Sponsored by Disney Theatrical Group and the hit new Broadway musical Smash, the showcase featured 50 Roger Rees Awards nominees who performed a musical medley that celebrates NYC 400 (commemorating the founding of New York), and a song from Smash. Guest conductor Rick Hip-Flores directed students from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts Orchestra, the winner of the 2025 New York City Center High School Orchestra Award, to accompany the showcase opening and closing musical number. This year’s Roger Rees Awards showcase also featured a performance by Cantare of LaGuardia High School, the 60-member choir also from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, the winner of the 2025 Harmony Helper Award for Excellence in Choral Group Performance. 

The two students selected by this panel of Broadway experts will represent the Greater New York region at The Broadway League Foundation’s The Jimmy Awards (also known as the National High School Musical Theatre Awards) on Monday, June 23 at the Minskoff Theatre.  

Photo Credit: Rebecca J. Michelson