OCHSA's Adam Levy Named 2012 John Raitt Awards for Youth Actor of the Year

The Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA), a nationally recognized arts school that provides bright and talented students with a creative and challenging educational environment, has announced that Music and Theatre Conservatory senior, Adam Levy, of Cypress has been named Actor of the Year in the 2012 John Raitt Awards for Youth (JRAY) presented by Fullerton Civic Light Opera.

As winner of this award, Levy will travel to New York to represent the JRAYs and OCHSA in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards program to be held in June 2012 in New York, New York.

The fourth-annual National High School Musical Theater Awards brings together thirty regional high school theatre awards programs from around the country. Each program sends two talented nominees to New York for a week of rehearsals, master classes and private coaching sessions leading up to the 2012 Jimmy Awards to be held June 25, 2012 at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway.

Levy is the fourth OCHSA Music and Theatre student to advance to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in the past four years. Previous honorees include Ryan Morton (Class of 2009), Emily Rowan (Class of 2009) and Elise Vannerson (Class of 2010). Levy received the Actor of the Year Award for his role as Marius in Les Misérables directed by OCHSA Music and Theatre Alumnus, Ryan Mekenian. Levy also received an honorable mention award in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards.

The Orange County High School of the Arts Music & Theatre Conservatory offers comprehensive training in acting, technique, and voice to talented students with aspirations of careers on stage, in film and television, and in the recording arts. Students are exposed to all aspects of the craft while learning the fundamentals of theatre history and technique. They are also given many performance opportunities on campus and throughout the local community. Students also have the opportunity to study with world-renowned guest artists and alumni, including Tony Award-nominated actor and GLEE star Matthew Morrison, Tony Award-nominated actress Susan Egan (Beauty and the Beast, Thoroughly Modern Millie), Lindsay Mendez (Godspell, Everyday Rapture, Grease) and Krysta Rodriguez (In the Heights, The Addams Family: The Broadway Musical).

For additional information about the school’s Music and Theatre Conservatory, please visit www.ocsarts.net/mt.

Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA) provides a creative, challenging and nurturing environment that offers bright and talented students unparalleled preparation for higher education and a profession in the arts. Established in 1987, the school currently serves more than 1,750 students in grades 7-12. OCHSA offers students the opportunity to focus on one of 12 arts conservatories offered, including classical/contemporary dance, classical voice, commercial dance, creative writing, culinary arts, film and television, instrumental music, integrated arts, international dance, music and theatre, production and design and visual arts.