Blue Star Award Winners Announced at Starlight Theatre

For the 15th consecutive year, Starlight Theatre has publicly applauded the outstanding achievements and talents of local high school musical theatre students. Last night's 2017 Blue Star Awards Ceremony gave hundreds of area teens an opportunity to perform musical numbers on Starlight's Cohen Community Stage while their teachers, peers, parents and others cheered them from the seats. Many of the students took home Blue Star Awards in recognition of their high school theatrical accomplishments.

A total of 52 public and private high schools throughout Kansas City and surrounding communities, producing a record 59 musicals, participated in the Blue Star Awards during the 2016-17 school year. The red-carpet ceremony was the program's culminating event.

During the course of the evening, many of the young performers and their schools were called to the stage to accept Blue Star Awards in 22 performance and technical categories.

The evening's top honor, "Outstanding Overall Production," was awarded to Blue Valley High School for its production of Bye Bye Birdie.

From Central High School in St. Joseph, Joey Myers took home the award for "Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role" for his portrayal of Edward Bloom in Big Fish. Stephanie Ainsworth of Blue Valley High School was honored with the "Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role" award for her role as Rose Alvarez in Bye Bye Birdie.

The award for "Outstanding Artistic Contribution by a Student" was presented to James Sisson for his direction and music direction of Liberty North High School's production of Disney's Mary Poppins. Fellow Liberty North student, Courtney Carr, won the "Technical Achievement Award" for her stage management of the same show. See complete listing of 2017 Blue Star Award recipients at the end of this news release.

Patterned after Broadway's Tony Awards, the Blue Star Awards at Starlight recognize exceptional achievement in musical theatre at the high school level. The educational awards are sponsored in part by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.

The May 25 Blue Star Awards Ceremony included musical performances by the six schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Production, as well as medleys of songs performed by the 12 nominees for Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Lead Role. The ceremony included a video montage featuring footage from all 59 productions in this year's competition.

Special guest award presenters included Samantha Steinmetz, a professional actress who graduated from Blue Valley High School. While attending Blue Valley, she won the Blue Star Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role" in 2009 for her role as Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street. At tonight's ceremony, Steinmetz provided the Blue Star Awards students with sage advice and assisted in presenting several of the evening's biggest awards.

Other guest presenters were Keith Brumley, resident scenic designer and technical director of the Lyric Opera; Megan Crigger, director of creative services in Kansas City's Office of Culture and Creative Services; Chip Miller, assistant artistic director of Kansas City Repertory Theatre; Joette Pelster, executive director of the Coterie Theatre; Paul Schofer, president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts; Jason Seber, assistant conductor of the Kansas City Symphony; and Phil Witt, WDAF-TV news anchor.

Each year at the ceremony, two $2,500 Rising Star college scholarships are awarded to the high school male and female seniors who have had the greatest impact on their high school theatre departments and demonstrated outstanding theatrical achievement. This year's scholarship recipients were Emma Cunningham of Blue Springs South High School and Ian Fleming of Raymore-Peculiar High School.

Finally, for the ninth straight year, the winners of the Blue Star Awards for "Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role" and "Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role" will travel to New York City to participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards, on June 26 at The Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Representing Kansas City, Starlight Theatre and their respective schools will be 2017 Lead Actor and Actress Blue Star Award winners Joey Myers of Central High School and Stephanie Ainsworth of Blue Valley High School.

2017 Blue Star Award Recipients

Outstanding Overall Production

Blue Valley High School Bye Bye Birdie

Outstanding Artistic Contribution by a Student James Sisson for Direction/Music Direction

Liberty North High School Disney's Mary Poppins

Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role Stephanie Ainsworth as Rose Alvarez

Blue Valley High School Bye Bye Birdie

Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role Joey Myers as Edward Bloom

Central High School Big Fish

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Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role Maddie Robert as Lois Lane (Bianca)

Blue Valley North High School Kiss Me, Kate

Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role Jaggard Williams as Ali Hakim

Truman High School Oklahoma!

Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role Emmy Caywood as Mrs. Corry

Liberty North High School Disney's Mary Poppins

Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role Jack Norton as Hugo Peabody

Blue Valley High School Bye Bye Birdie

Outstanding Female Ensemble Member Ady Shaw as Alice

Blue Valley High School Bye Bye Birdie

Outstanding Male Ensemble Member Brendan Ohlmeier as Villager/Russian

Paola High School Fiddler on the Roof

Outstanding Ensemble

Blue Valley High School Bye Bye Birdie

Outstanding Orchestra

St. James Academy Disney's Mary Poppins

Outstanding Scenic Design and Construction, Tier I ($0-$1,850)

Winnetonka High School In The Heights

Outstanding Scenic Design and Construction, Tier II ($1,851+)

Liberty North High School Disney's Mary Poppins

Outstanding Lighting Design

Liberty North High School Disney's Mary Poppins

Outstanding Technical Crew Costume Crew

Central High School Big Fish

Outstanding Costume Design and Construction, Tier I ($0-$1,350)

Leavenworth High School Jekyll & Hyde

Outstanding Costume Design and Construction, Tier II ($1,351+)

Central High School Big Fish

Outstanding Hair and Makeup Design

Blue Valley High School Bye Bye Birdie

Technical Achievement Award Courtney Carr
Liberty North High School Disney's Mary Poppins

Rising Star Scholarship Recipients

Blue Springs South High School Emma Cunningham

Raymore-Peculiar High School Ian Fleming

About Starlight Theatre
Starlight Theatre, recent winner of the Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), is the largest and oldest performing arts organization in Kansas City and
the second-largest outdoor producing theatre in the country. Opened as a theater in 1950 and as a not-for-profit organization in 1951, Starlight presents and produces Broadway musicals and concerts. It also offers extensive community outreach and educational programming, including classes, scholarships and Starlight's Blue Star Awards, one of the largest high school musical theatre award programs in the nation.

Located on 16 acres in Swope Park, Starlight's venue includes rehearsal halls, gift store, club area for dining, concessions, gardens, fountains and a 10-story, climate-controlled stage.

For more information, visit www.kcstarlight.com.

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