8th Annual Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards - Shuler Hensley Awards Are Announced!

ArtsBridge Foundation, the producer of the 8th Annual Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards - Shuler Hensley Awards, tonight announced the winners of the 2016 awards during a ceremony at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Award highlights include: Overall Production - Milton High School for Young Frankenstein; Direction - Calhoun High School's Julie Leggett for Oklahoma!; Best Performance by a Leading Actor - Buford High School's Will Davis for his role as Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde in Jekyll & Hyde; and Best Performance by a Leading Actress - Marietta High School's Shelbea Owens for her role as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray. Additionally, recipients of five scholarships and one grant were announced.

The recipients of the leading actor and actress awards will travel to New York City to participate in the 8th Annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards that will take place at the Minskoff Theater on Broadway on June 27, 2016. They will compete with young performers from across the country for the coveted JimmyTM Award as well as merit scholarships and professional opportunities.

Following is the complete list of 2016 Shuler Award recipients:

• Overall Production: Milton High School, Young Frankenstein
• Ensemble: Milton High School, Young Frankenstein
• Best Performance by a Leading Actor: Will Davis as Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde, Buford High School, Jekyll & Hyde
• Best Performance by a Leading Actress: Shelbea Owens as Tracy Turnblad, Marietta High School, Hairspray
• Best Performance by a Supporting Actor: Koosha Kermani as Fester, Johns Creek High School, The Addams Family
• Best Performance by a Supporting Actress: Parker Jennings as Mrs. Banks, Greater Atlanta Christian School, Mary Poppins
• Best Performance by a Featured Performer: Lauren Kenner as Frau Blucher, Milton High School, Young Frankenstein
• Direction: Julie Leggett, Calhoun High School, Oklahoma!
• Sound: Tara Mitra, Johns Creek High School, The Addams Family
• Costume Design: Kimberly Staples, Buford High School, Jekyll & Hyde
• Scenic Design: Steven Broyles, Wesleyan School, Hot Mikado
• Lighting Design: Kirk Grizzle, South Forsyth High School, Ghost the Musical
• Technical Execution: Olivia Morris, South Forsyth High School, Ghost the Musical
• Orchestra: Michael Huebner, Kennesaw Mountain High School, Little Shop of Horrors
• Music Direction: Eric Gray, West Forsyth High School, The Little Mermaid
• Choreography: Lynne Brague and Laurel Henson, Mount Paran Christian School, Crazy for You
• Show Stopper: Buford High School, Jekyll & Hyde, Murder Murder

The 91 member Shuler Student Ensemble performed an opening number from Motown the Musical and closing number from Memphis. The ceremony also featured cameo appearances from Marietta-native and Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley; performances by the six schools nominated for overall production; a performance of Murder, Murder from Jekyll & Hyde by Buford High School, winner of the Show Stopper award; and leading actor and actress nominee medleys.

A team of more than 60 Atlanta-based arts professionals evaluated the productions of the 50 participating high schools. Twenty-eight (28) public and private schools from throughout the state were nominated in the 17 categories for the 8th annual Shuler Awards. The accounting firm Bennett Thrasher tabulated the results.

In addition to the Shuler Awards, ArtsBridge Foundation presented the following five scholarships and one grant during the ceremony:

• Broadway Dreams Performance Scholarships: Lauren Hill, Flowery Branch High School and Sam Dubin, Lakeview Academy
• Alliance Theatre Summer Camp Scholarships: Hannah Dahl, Northview High School and Jonte John, Newton High School
• Morrell Memorial Music Scholarship: Andy Turner, Forsyth Central High School
• Jubilee Cultural Arts Scenic Design Grant: Dawson County High School

The Shuler Awards are a program of ArtsBridge Foundation. ArtsBridge provides quality performing arts education programs designed to engage and motivate the next generation of artists and arts supporters. The 2016 Shuler Awards are made possible by the following generous sponsors: platinum sponsor - The Georgia Lottery; gold sponsors - Georgia Public Broadcasting, Bennett Thrasher, Georgia State University TV and the Bobbie Bailey Foundation; silver sponsors - Delta Community Credit Union, Staging Directions, Norcostco and Magnum Companies as well as many others. To learn more about the Shuler Hensley Awards, visit artsbridgega.org/programs/shuler-awards/ and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/GHSMTA/

About ArtsBridge Foundation

ArtsBridge Foundation is dedicated to providing quality arts education and community engagement programs that engage, motivate, inspire, and elevate the next generation of artists and arts supporters. ArtsBridge forms connections with students in grades K-12 by providing arts education opportunities through field trip programs to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, master class workshops, artists-in-schools, and the annual Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards - The Shuler Hensley Awards. Since our inception in 2007, ArtsBridge has served more than 300,000 students and educators from 49 Georgia counties, plus students from Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina. To learn more, visit artsbridgega.org and follow us on Twitter @ArtsbridgeGA, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArtsBridgeGa and on Instagram @artsbridgega.

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