Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) presents the 13th annual Tommy Tune Awards, held tonight, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.
The Tommy Tune Awards recognize and reward excellence in the production of musical theatre by high school students and their teachers.
Co-hosts for this year's awards ceremony include Deborah Duncan and Jim Bernhard. Duncan is the host of KHOU's Great Day Houston morning show. Bernhard has written several original productions that have debuted at TUTS and authored the organization's theatrical history, "Stars In Your Eyes".
After evaluating the 45 participating Houston-area high school productions during the 2014-2015 school year, a team of 30 Houston-based theatre professionals nominated 164 participants in 15 award categories. An additional committee considered 76 potential scholarship recipients.The following high schools and individuals were nominated:
Best Musical:Best Ensemble/Chorus:
Clear Springs High School, The Music Man
Cypress Ranch High School, The Addams Family, The Musical
Friendswood High School, Mary Poppins
Houston Christian High School, Pippin
Klein High School, Les Miserables School Edition
Pearland High School, Guys and Dolls
Second Baptist School, Cinderella
Seven Lakes High School, The Music Man
Stratford High School, Bye Bye Birdie
The John Cooper School, Little Shop of Horrors
The Kinkaid School, A Chorus Line
The Woodlands College Park High School, Cinderella
Best Stage Crew & Technical Execution:
Episcopal High School, South Pacific
Friendswood High School, Mary Poppins
High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, The Sound of Music
Houston Christian High School, Pippin
Klein High School, Les Miserables School Edition
Pearland High School, Guys and Dolls
Second Baptist School, Cinderella
Seven Lakes High School, The Music Man
Spring High School, Hairspray
Stratford High School, Bye Bye Birdie
The John Cooper School, Little Shop of Horrors
Westfield High School, Sweet Charity
Best Musical Direction:
Cypress Ranch High School, The Addams Family, The Musical
Friendswood High School, Mary Poppins
Houston Christian High School, Pippin
Klein High School, Les Miserables School Edition
Klein Oak High School, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Pearland High School, Guys and Dolls
Second Baptist School, Cinderella
Seven Lakes High School, The Music Man
Stratford High School, Bye Bye Birdie
Texas City High School, Grease
The John Cooper School, Little Shop of Horrors
The Kinkaid School, A Chorus Line
Best Choreography:
Cypress Ranch High School, The Addams Family, The Musical
Friendswood High School, Mary Poppins
Houston Christian High School, Pippin
Klein Collins High School, Pippin
Klein High School, Les Miserables School Edition
Klein Oak High School, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Pearland High School, Guys and Dolls
Second Baptist School, Cinderella
Texas City High School, Grease
The John Cooper School, Little Shop of Horrors
The Kinkaid School, A Chorus Line
Westfield High School, Sweet Charity
Best Direction:
Clear Springs High School, The Music Man
Friendswood High School, Mary Poppins
Houston Christian High School, Pippin
Klein High School, Les Miserables School Edition
Klein Oak High School, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Pearland High School, Guys and Dolls
Second Baptist School, Cinderella
Seven Lakes High School, The Music Man
Spring Woods High School, The Addams Family, The Musical
Stratford High School, Bye Bye Birdie
The John Cooper School, Little Shop of Horrors
The Kinkaid School, A Chorus Line
TUTS' Tommy Tune Awards are designed not only to acknowledge remarkable musical theatre talent at the high school level, but also to encourage future artistic development. TUTS will present eight scholarships to outstanding participating students of the Tommy Tune Awards. These include the Ruth Denney Scholarship, named in honor of Tune's mentor and legendary Lamar High School drama teacher. Ruth Denney was the founder and first director of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and then Professor of Drama Education at the University of Texas at Austin. She died in 2007, just a few days before her 93rd birthday. Students under consideration were required to meet specific criteria set out by the Scholarship Committee, as well as submit an application and an essay. The scholarship committee, composed of TUTS board members, has carefully reviewed all of the applications and will announce the scholarship recipients during the awards ceremony.
Jimmy Awards The Best Leading Actor and Actress will go on to compete at the national level for the Jimmy Award at the National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City. Established in 2009, the Jimmy Awards are named after Broadway theatre owner and producer, James M. Nederlander. This year, the program will bring the country's best high school performers together to compete on Broadway on June 29. While in New York, Jimmy Award participants will have the opportunity to participate in rehearsals and master classes, receive one-on-one coaching from theater professionals, be seen by casting agents, meet and converse with Broadway actors and compete for scholarships and other prizes. The week's events will culminate in a live awards show where the Jimmy Awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress will be presented. TUTS' Tommy Tune Awards are named for Houston native and Lamar High School alumnus, Tommy Tune. A performer, director and choreographer with more than 50 years of stage experience, Tune received nine Tony Awards for his work in the following productions: Seesaw, My One and Only, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Nine, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies. He was also awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2003 by President Bush. Tune is currently taking an autobiographical stroll in Taps, Tunes and Tall Tales where he dances, sings and tale-tells through more than 50 years of showmanship. The Tommy Tune Awards ceremony is open to the general public. VIP tickets will be available for purchase beginning on April 2, and standard tickets will be available for purchase beginning on April 13. To receive more information, call (713) 558-8887 or visit TUTS.com/TommyTune. To learn more about TUTS' Education and Community Engagement programs, visit TUTS.com/EDU.Videos