Winners Revealed For The Diamond Awards

Winners of Walton Arts Center's inaugural Diamond Awards were announced during an award showcase this weekend. Award winners are:

• Best Actor: Cardon Sullivan (Gomez Addams) in Bentonville West High School's production of The Adams Family: The School Edition
• Best Actress: Audrey Redwine (Cinderella) in Fayetteville High School's production of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella 
• Best Supporting Performance
  • Asher Jordan (Lionel) in Fayetteville High School's production of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
  • Julianna Senter (Pearl Krabs) in Bentonville High School's production of Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical 
• Best Ensemble Performance: Bentonville High School
• Sparkle Award for Outstanding Arts Educator: Zac Perry of Farmington High School

Jason Burrow was music director for the Diamond Award ceremony, and the show was choreographed by Virginia Mock and Emily Viator.

Modeled after Broadway's Tony Awards, Walton Arts Center's Diamond Awards recognize achievement and excellence in musical theater among local high school students. This program qualifies the best actress and actor winners to compete this June in New York City at the Broadway League Foundation's National High School Musical Theatre Awards, “The Jimmy Awards."

10 high school theater programs that produced full-length musicals participated in this year's program. Industry professionals adjudicated students' performances in their high school musicals, and those with the highest scores were Diamond Award nominees. 32 students competed for best actor/actress. 13 competed for best supporting performance, and four competed for best ensemble performance. Teachers were nominated by students for The Sparkle Award.

Support for Walton Arts Center is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Walton Arts Center is Arkansas' largest and busiest performing arts presenter. Each year more than 215,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend more than 300 public events at Walton Arts Center, including performances, rehearsals, community gatherings, receptions, weddings and more. Approximately 35,000 students and teachers participate annually in arts learning programs at Walton Arts Center, and almost 250 volunteers donate 28,000 hours of time each year to its operations. Walton Arts Center presents entertainers and artists from around the world including Broadway musicals, renowned dance companies, International Artists, up-and-coming jazz musicians and more. As a non-profit organization, Walton Arts Center enjoys the generous support of public sector funding, corporate sponsorship and private donors, allowing audience members to enjoy world-class performances at a great price. To learn more about Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.

Arkansas Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE WIZARD OF OZ (Arts One Presents)

12.5% of votes

2. CINDERELLA: THE BROADWAY VERSION (Arkansas State University Theatre)

12.4% of votes

3. TUCK EVERLASTING (Harding University Theatre)

10.1% of votes

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