Lipke Foundation Doubles Kenny Awards Grant To $10,000 For High School Theatre Productions

Shea's Performing Arts Center announced today that The Lipke Foundation will double its Kenny Awards grant to $10,000 for the WNY area high school that wins Outstanding Musical Production at next year's ceremony. The 26th annual Kenny Awards will take place Saturday, May 11 at Shea's Buffalo Theatre and will continue the legacy of recognizing and promoting high school theatre programs.

"My grandfather was always passionate about the arts and arts education, so were pleased to increase the grant to continue to honor that dedication," said Carlisle Lipke Mitchell, Kenny Awards Director. "There is so much hard work and dedication that go into a theatrical production, so we're hoping this increased grant will provide more opportunities to the students."

"Thank you to the Lipke Foundation for its continued support of high school theatre throughout WNY," added Shea's President Michael G. Murphy. "We value our partnership with the Kenny Awards and look forward to all the productions that will be selected for next year's ceremony."

Since the inception of the program, the Kenny Awards have recognized and honored countless outstanding musical productions in local high schools and put more than $120,000 into area high school theatre programs.

Applications for this year's Kenny Awards program will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12. Schools interested in applying for the program can do so at www.sheas.org. From the applicant pool, 10 schools will ultimately be selected to participate as finalists in the program and be eligible for the Outstanding Musical Production award grant.

The Kenny adjudicators will view and evaluate the productions to determine the nominees and winners. There are 15 award categories, including "The Kenny" for Outstanding Musical Production, which also awards the $10,000 grant from the Lipke Foundation to be used solely by the school's theatre department.