The Rita Moreno Awards Reveal 2024 Nominees

The Rita Moreno Awards unveiled the 2024 nominees who will compete in front of a panel of judges on Monday, May 13, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. PT. This regional awards competition recognizes outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre north of Santa Barbara. This year, a total of 41 productions were submitted. In total, 327 students were evaluated for their individual performance.

Tickets for The Rita Moreno Awards are $25 and available now online at broadwaysanjose.com/shows/rita-moreno-awards/ by calling 408-792-4111, or in-person at the San Jose Civic Box Office (150 W. San Carlos St., San Jose).

This year’s nominees are:

OVERALL PRODUCTION:

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA) 
Hello, Dolly!
Buchanan High School (Clovis, CA)
The Wedding Singer
The Harker School (San Jose, CA)
Legally Blonde
Heritage High School (Brentwood, CA)
The Wedding Singer
San Mateo High School (San Mateo, CA)
Into the Woods
Valley Christian High School (San Jose, CA)

LEAD ACTOR:

Charlie Hammond as Nick Bottom in Something Rotten!
The Menlo School (Atherton, CA)
Mitchell Henderson as Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! 
Buchanan High School (Clovis, CA)
Joshua Prabhakar as Baker in Into the Woods 
Valley Christian High School (San Jose, CA)
Gillespie Ruvalcaba as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof 
Monte Vista Christian School (Watsonville, CA)
Nicki Weppner as Ren McCormick in Footloose 
Woodside High School (Woodside, CA)
Oliver Yellin as Pierre in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)

LEAD ACTRESS:

Levana Geshuri as Natasha in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)
Bliss Kozielski as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes 
Inspire School of Arts and Sciences (Chico, CA)
Venice Ella Mayor as Phoebe in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder 
Bellarmine College Preparatory (San Jose, CA)
Victoria Salazar as Queen Aggravain in Once Upon a Mattress 
Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School (Novato, CA)
Kaleigha Sioson as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde
Heritage High School (Brentwood, CA)
Selina Xu as Holly in The Wedding Singer 
The Harker School (San Jose, CA)

SUPPORTING PERFORMERS:

Sofia Browning as Flotsam in Disney’s The Little Mermaid 
The King’s Academy (Sunnyvale, CA)
Amanda Bruno as Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man 
Saint Mary’s High School (Stockton, CA)
Dodge Hyatt as Barnaby Tucker in Hello, Dolly!
Buchanan High School (Clovis, CA)
 
Genevieve Jones as Yonah in Children of Eden 
Justin-Siena High School (Napa, CA)
Ethan Kim as Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods 
Valley Christian High School (San Jose, CA)
Miller Rettig as Andrey in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 
Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)
Isabella Ribeiro as Rosie in The Wedding Singer 
The Harker School (San Jose, CA)
Sabrina Self as Lady Eugenia D’Ysquith/ Mrs. Heatherington/etc. in 
 A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Bellarmine College Preparatory (San Jose, CA)
Vinny Stallone as King Sextimus in Once Upon a Mattress 
Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School (Novato, CA)
Ashleigh Stone as Brooke in Legally Blonde 
Heritage High School (Brentwood, CA)

STUDENT REPORTER