2017 Sutton Foster Ovation Awards Set for Sunday at Wharton Center

The best of Michigan's high school theatre students are coming together Sunday, May 21, at Wharton Center's Cobb Great Hall for the 6th Annual Sutton Foster Ovation Awards.

The award is a celebration of outstanding achievement and recognizes individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performances for both a male and female lead in a high school musical theatre production. It also honors the commitment of Michigan teachers and schools to excellence in performing arts education.

Fifty-two high school thespians from across the state have been nominated by their theatre/music directors to compete on the Wharton Center stage for the coveted Sutton Foster Ovation Award. Of these select performers, one male and one female will be presented an Ovation Award by a prestigious panel of Broadway judges, and will go on to compete in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City on an all-expenses-paid trip this June. The winners will also each receive a scholarship to Wharton Center's summer Broadway workshop, Take It From The Top, as well as $1,000 in cash.

The May 21 event will include a selection of Broadway tunes and dances performed by the students, culminating in the final awards ceremony. Parking will be free in the ramp adjacent to Wharton Center.

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS:

Ann Arbor Skyline High School - Ann Arbor, MI
Armada High School - Armada, MI
Brighton High School - Brighton, MI
Caledonia High School - Caledonia, MI
Charlotte High School - Charlotte, MI
Clarkston High School - Clarkston, MI
Coopersville High School - Coopersville, MI
Crestwood High School - Dearborn Heights, MI
Dakota High School - Macomb, MI
Dewitt High School - Dewitt, MI
Forest Hills Northern High School - Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Ledge High School - Grand Ledge, MI
Greenville High School - Greenville, MI
Grosse Pointe North High School - Grosse Pointe, MI
Lansing Catholic High School - Lansing, MI
Okemos High School - Okemos, MI
Rockford Public High School - Rockford, MI
South Lyon East High School - South Lyon, MI
Springport High School - Springport, MI
St. Francis High School - Traverse City, MI
St. Johns Public High School - St. Johns, MI
Swartz Creek High School - Swartz Creek, MI
Traverse CiTy West High School - Traverse City, MI
University Liggett High School - Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
Zeeland East High School - Zeeland, MI

The event also features the Greg Reuter Excellence in Musical Theatre Education Award. The award honors a Michigan theatrical educator who follows the same superior ideals with which Reuter taught during his lifetime. Greg Reuter was a 20-year Broadway stage veteran, Los Angeles actor and beloved MSU Department of Theatre professor. Since his untimely death in 2015, support has poured in from across the country to honor a man who always put his students first and changed lives through his dedicated work ethic and charming skill.

For more information on the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, visit jimmyawards.com.

The Sutton Foster Ovation Awards partnership includes Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Broadway in Detroit and Broadway Grand Rapids, with additional support from Nancy Passanante.

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