Krysta Rodriguez, Jennifer Ashley Tepper & More to Judge 2016 Joci Awards
By: Tyler Peterson Apr. 28, 2016
Celebrity judges for the 2016 Joci Awards include director/producer and actors from stage television and film. Guest judges include:
CAITLIN CARTER: Broadway Original Casts: CHICAGO (Mona, Roxie), SWING, VICTOR/VICTORIA, BELLS ARE RINGING (Olga), AIN'T BROADWAY GRAND. National and Regional: A CHORUS LINE (Cassie), CRAZY FOR YOU, MAME (Gloria Upson), GYPSY (Tessie Tura). Film/TV: RENT, CRADLE WILL ROCK, BIG EDEN, DIVORCE TEXAS STYLE, GUIDING LIGHT ONE LIFE TO LIVE, THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS. Graduate: N.C.S.A., Rice University.
KELSEY FOWLER: (AEA, SAG/AFTRA) BROADWAY: Bonnie & Clyde (Young Bonnie), Mary Poppins (Jane Banks), Sunday in the Park with George (Louise), Grey Gardens (Lee Bouvier). US NATIONAL TOUR: Mary Poppins (Jane Banks). TELEVISION: Mary Poppins National Commercial, The View on ABC. CD RECORDINGS: Original Broadway Cast Recordings of Bonnie & Clyde and Grey Gardens. DVD: Mary Poppins's 45th Anniversary Edition (Special Features, Step in Time). www.kelseyfowler.com @kelseyfowlernyc
Graduate of Kent State, and Cleveland-native, has been working in regional professional theatres across the country: Westchester B'way, Gretna, Zach Scott, New Harmony, Porthouse, New Stage, Main Street Musicals Inc. and others. Some favorite credits include: Damn Yankees (Joe), The Fantasticks! (Matt), Into the Woods (Cindy's Prince), Mr. Marmalade (Bradley), and a developing bio production, Ethel starring Carolee Carmello and Penny Fuller that premiered last fall.
Eric William Morris
Eric William Morris: Broadway: Coram Boy, Mamma Mia! Recent World Premieres: Songbird at 59E59 and Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording) at Two River Theatre. Eric frequently collaborates with composer Joe Iconis, starring in the Drama Desk Nominated Bloodsong of Love, Be More Chill, and Things To Ruin. TV/Film: "Quantico", "Blue Bloods", "Forever", "Golden Boy", "Royal Pains", "Law and Order", "New Amsterdam" and the feature film Trust, Greed, Bullets, & Bourbon. Other regional/Off Broadway: The Last Goodbye (Old Globe, Alex Timbers Dir.), Dog and Pony (Old Globe, Roger Rees Dir.), Talk to me Like The Rain... (Theatre Row, Matthew Lillard Dir.), White Noise (Royal George, Chicago), Empire (Lincoln Center Workshop), and Mrs. Hughes (Yale Institute for Music Theatre). ANIMUS Theatre Company Member
KRYSTA RODRIGUEZ most recently starred opposite Zachary Levi in the Broadway production of First Date. Other Broadway credits: The Addams Family, In The Heights, Spring Awakening, A Chorus Line, Good Vibrations. TV: Ana Vargas on NBC's "Smash"; also "Chasing Life," "Inside Amy Schumer," "Married," "Gossip Girl." www.krystacouture.com
Jennifer Ashley Tepper is the Director of Programming at Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's #1 concert venue. On Broadway, Tepper has worked on [title of show], The Performers, Godspell, and Macbeth. She's the co-creator of the Bistro Award-winning series, If It Only Even Runs A Minute, and she frequently collaborates with Joe Iconis & Family. As a writer, Tepper has authored two volumes of The Untold Stories of Broadway, published by Dress Circle. JenniferAshleyTepper.com
Showcase participants are already winners and are guaranteed scholarship funds, but the amount for each will be determined by guest judges evaluating their live performances. Twenty-five finalists from 12 high schools in San Antonio and Austin have earned a place in the 2016 Joci Awards Scholarship Competition. These finalists will sing, act and dance, vying for a chance to win a portion of $100,000 in scholarship funds and the chance to participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City. The Joci Awards Scholarship Competition is open to the public at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre.
Tickets for The Joci Awards start at $10 and may be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745.3000, or in person at the Majestic Theatre Box Office, located at 226 East Houston Street. Ticket sales benefit the competition's scholarship fund. For additional information, call 210-223-4343 or visit www.lascasasfoundation.org.
The Joci Awards Scholarship Competition also serves as a Regional Awards Program (RAP) for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City. During the week long program, two students from San Antonio experience private coaching with the industry's top professionals and train for a finale performance where they compete for additional scholarship funds. The selection panel includes nationally-recognized playwrights, actors, choreographers and dancers. For many students, the Joci Awards Scholarship Competition through the Las Casas Foundation represents their first opportunity to compete with a larger pool of talent, exposing them to other performing arts students outside their own high schools and is their first opportunity to perform on a professional stage.
"The Joci Awards celebrates the performing arts and Texas' rising stars. It's exhilarating and exciting to recognize the amount of young talent in Texas, especially here in San Antonio," says Kevin Parman, president of the board of directors for Las Casas Foundation. "The competition for these scholarships is meticulous, so to win is a true honor."
The five categories included are: Acting, Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Best Lead Actress in a Musical, Dance and Vocal. Scholarships range from $2,000 to $5,000 in competition categories, an additional $10,000 is awarded to the best overall performance and $1,500 scholarships are awarded to essay winners.
The Finalists for this year's Joci Awards Scholarship Competition and their high schools are:
ACTING:
Sophia Bernard Douglas MacArthur High School
Joshua Bippert Winston Churchill High School
Andrea Fuentes Ronald Reagan High School
Elizabeth Taylor Ronald Reagan High School
Sam Terry Keystone School
BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
Travis Anderson North East School of the Arts
Tamir Meishar North East School of the Arts
Preston Perez North East School of the Arts
Weston Smith Theodore Roosevelt High School
Andrew Welch Lago Vista High School
BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
Madeline Burrow North East School of the Arts
Sarah Cosgrove Douglas MacArthur High School
Gabriella Garcia St. Mary's Hall
Rachel Ryan Ronald Reagan High School
Andrea Varnado North East School of the Arts
DANCE:
Alison Bartels Ronald Reagan High School
Anna Gibson Antonian College Preparatory
Elyse Echevarria North East School of the Arts
Sofia Leal John Marshall High School
Donna Wegert North East School of the Arts
VOCAL:
Lauren Campion North East School of the Arts
Madeline Jimenez North East School of the Arts
Katryna Marttala North East School of the Arts
Anna Meyer North East School of the Arts
Brenna Santos Alamo Heights High School
Founded in 2009, the Joci Awards Scholarship Competition has awarded more than $585,000 in scholarship money in the disciplines of theatre acting, musical theatre singing and dancing. Since 2011, it has awarded $100,000 per year to deserving students who excel in the performing arts, making it the largest scholarship funding source of its kind in the United States.
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