Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors Announces 2019 Nominees

The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors announced today the 2019 nominees who will compete in front of a panel of nationally recognized judges on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts (255 S. Almaden Blvd). Sponsored by Children's Musical Theater San Jose and Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander Presentation, this regional awards competition recognizes outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre outside of the Los Angeles area. Tickets for The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors are $25 and available now by visiting www.ritamorenoawards.com or calling 800-982-ARTS (2787).

This year's nominated schools are:

• Arcata High School - Arcata, CA
• Archbishop Mitty High School - San Jose, CA
• Buchanan High School -Clovis, CA
• Coalinga High School - Coalinga, CA
• Dublin High School - Dublin, CA
• Hillsdale High School - San Mateo, CA
• Inspire School of Arts and Sciences - Chico, CA
• Junipero Serra High School - San Mateo, CA
• The King's Academy - Sunnyvale, CA
• Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School - Novato, CA
• Napa High School - Napa, CA
• Natomas Charter School - Sacramento, CA
• Presentation High School - San Jose, CA
• Ruth Asawa School of the Arts - San Francisco, CA
• Sacred Heart Prep Atherton - Atherton, CA
• San Mateo High School - San Mateo, CA
• Valley Christian High School - San Jose, CA
• Willow Glen High School - San Jose, CA
• Woodside High School - Woodside, CA

This year's individual nominees are:

OVERALL PRODUCTION:

• Archbishop Mitty High School
  Bright Star
• Buchanan High School
  Into the Woods
• Dublin High School
  The Pajama Game
• Inspire School of Arts and Sciences
  The Addams Family
• Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School
  Bye Bye Birdie
• The King's Academy
  Curtains

LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:

• Luciano Castaldo
  "Gomez Addams" in The Addams Family
  Inspire School of Arts and Sciences (Chico, CA)
• Luca Catanzaro
  "Albert Peterson" in Bye Bye Birdie
  Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School (Novato, CA)
• Bryant Howard
  "Baker" in Into the Woods
  Buchanan High School (Clovis, CA)
• CJ Purdy
  "Topher" in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
  Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)
• Chris Rubingh
  "Lieutenant Frank Cioffi" in Curtains
  The King's Academy (Sunnyvale, CA)
• Ty Vizenor
  "Sky Masterson" in Guys and Dolls
  Arcata High School (Arcata, CA)

LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:

• Kathrine Brugger
  "Laurie" in Oklahoma!
  Natomas Charter School (Sacramento, CA)
• Ande Burns
  "Alice Murphy" in Bright Star
  Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)
• Karina Howansky
  Cinderella" in Into the Woods
  Buchanan High School (Clovis, CA)
• Teagan Reynolds
  "Ella" in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
  San Mateo High School (San Mateo, CA)
• Stefanie Richardson
  "Belle" in Beauty and the Beast
  Hillsdale High School (San Mateo, CA)
• Lauryn Thomas
  "Paulette" in Legally Blonde
  Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (San Francisco, CA)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:

• Andy Arledge
  "Christopher Belling" in Curtains
  The King's Academy (Sunnyvale, CA)
• Jacob Dueker
  "Rapunzel's Prince" in Into the Woods
  Buchanan High School (Clovis, CA)
• Carson Merrick
  "Prez" in The Pajama Game
  Dublin High School (Dublin, CA)
• Conor Sherry
  "Daryl" in Bright Star
  Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)
• Christopher Castillo Vargas
  John Barsad" in A Tale of Two Cities
  Napa High School (Napa, CA)
• Joaquin Waters
  "Ali Hakim" in Oklahoma!
  Natomas Charter School (Sacramento, CA)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:

• Alyssa Hall
  "Bambi Bernet" in Curtains
  The King's Academy (Sunnyvale, CA)
• Priyanka Kedia
  "Gladys Hotchkiss" in The Pajama Game
  Dublin High School (Dublin, CA)
• Franchesca Lazaro
  "Erzulie" in Once On This Island
  Presentation High School (San Jose, CA)
• Christi Skinner
  "Rosie" in Mamma Mia!
  Woodside High School (Woodside, CA)
• Amelia Tracey
  "Minnie Fay" in Hello Dolly!
  Valley Christian High School (San Jose, CA)
• Sophia Valpreda
  "Simon" in Jesus Chris Superstar
  Willow Glen High School (San Jose, CA)

STANDOUT ENSEMBLE HONOREES:

• Bridget Callahan
  The Wedding Singer
  Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo, CA)
• Annie Crousore
  Chicago
  Sacred Heart Prep Atherton (Atherton, CA)
• Annie Donnell
  Oklahoma!
  Natomas Charter School (Sacramento, CA)
• Jeremy Goei
  Hello, Dolly!
  Valley Christian High School (San Jose, CA)
• Lola Kohler-White
  Legally Blonde
  Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (San Francisco, CA)
• Olivia Newbold
  Bye Bye Birdie
  Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School (Novato, CA)
• Valerie Perez
  In the Heights
  Coalinga High School (Coalinga, CA)

Judges for the evening of May 13 include casting director Michael Donovan, producer, director, and choreographer Andy Ferrara, and Broadway actress and musical theater professor Tory Ross Roman. Legendary Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award-winning actress Rita Moreno will meet with all the nominees prior to the ceremony, as well as speak during the ceremony.

Winners in the 'Best Lead Actor' and 'Best Lead Actress' categories that evening will join regional winners from around the nation at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA)-also known as the Jimmy Awards-in New York City, where they will perform on Monday, June 24 on Broadway's Minskoff Theatre stage before industry experts and compete for scholarship opportunities to New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. Tony Award winner Ben Plattreturns as host.

80 high school students from 40 regional programs across America will compete for the Jimmy for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress at the tenth annual presentation in New York City. All nominees will prepare for their debut on a Broadway stage during a ten-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio with Broadway faculty members, plus other theatre professionals.

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards was established in 2009 to elevate the importance of theatre arts education in schools and reward excellence in student performance. The program impacts over 100,000 students annually who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by 40 professional theatres throughout the United States.

Since its inception, NHSMTA has been the catalyst for more than $2,000,000 in educational scholarships awarded to deserving young performers. Also known as The Jimmy Awards , named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, this year-round program is administered by The Broadway League Foundation, Inc., The Broadway League's charitable foundation. Its mission is to enlighten and increase the public's knowledge, appreciation and awareness of the theatrical arts and to provide a forum for the discussion of issues relating to the preservation and promotion of live theatre as a vital and culturally significant artistic medium.

Thanks to the support of its participating League member theatres and donors, NHSMTA continues to grow. In 2012, the program inspired PBS to produce a three-part documentary series called "Broadway or Bust," which followed students on a journey from their hometown competitions to their debut at the Minskoff Theatre. The series premiered in September 2012 and was showcased in 100% of PBS's Top 50 strategic markets, ranking as one of their most highly rated programs. It remains popular viewing at www.pbs.org.

The depth, scope, and education-centric mission of NHSMTA coupled with its extensive television and media exposure has made participating in the program an aspiration for a growing number of high schools. Based on feedback from participating theatres, school administrators are now directing both human and financial resources to improve the quality of theatre arts education in their districts. This renewed enthusiasm for the performing arts in schools is already helping to invigorate local theatres and the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.nhsmta.com.

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