Nominees Announced for 2010 High School Musical Awards

The 5th Avenue Theatre is pleased to announce the nominees for its eighth annual 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theatre, the acclaimed program sponsored by Wells Fargo. A high school version of the Tony Awards, this program allows theater students from across Washington to meet, celebrate and honor the exceptional musical theater productions presented during the 2009-2010 school year. These awards are designed to shine the spotlight on high school musical theater programs and offer theater students the same recognition that accomplished high school athletes have received for decades.

Since its inception the program has grown in size and scope, from 31 productions and 3,100 students in 2003 to 93 productions and 9,300 students participating this year. 183 nominations were given to 64 schools in various categories and 89 students will receive honorable mentions. Schools from as far as Spokane, Lynden, Sequim and Vancouver are reporting back to The 5th Avenue that their involvement in this awards program has significantly helped their individual efforts to secure funding, improve curriculum and increase student participation.

During the past school year, The 5th Avenue sent a team of theater professionals to evaluate each school's production. Nominations are made in 21 categories, from overall musical production to lobby display.

The 5th Avenue Awards will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 7, at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Nominated students and schools will perform numbers from their shows and get a taste of what it's like to perform in front of a packed house. Dozens of high-profile elected officials and arts and media personalities will present awards and show their support for school arts programs. An estimated 2,200 high school students are expected to attend, along with their families and friends. Tickets are available by contacting the drama departments of the nominated schools. The 5th Avenue sincerely thanks Wells Fargo for its sponsorship of this important event for the fifth year in a row.

For a full list of our nominees, visit our 2010 High School Musical Theatre Awards Nominees page at http://www.5thavenue.org/education/highschoolawards-2010.aspx. Tickets for the Awards Ceremony are $27.50 for adults, $16.50 for students, and are available through participating schools.

TVW will broadcast The 5th Avenue High School Awards Ceremony, in its entirety. Please visit www.tvw.org.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is Seattle's premier musical theater. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of over 25,000 and an annual attendance of more than 287,000. It ranks among the nation's largest and most respected musical theater companies. The Theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its Educational Outreach Program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Student Matinee Program and Spotlight Nights. Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, the exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernie Griffin and Producing Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue Theatre continues to achieve the highest standards in all aspects of artistic endeavors and facility operations, while preserving its artistic, architectural and historic legacy. Visit www.5thavenue.org.

In Washington, Wells Fargo has nearly 5,000 team members and 228 banking, mortgage and financial stores. Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $1.2 trillion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 10,000 stores and 12,000 ATMs and the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com) across North America and internationally.

To post a comment, you must register and login.