Starlight Theatre Announces 2009 Blue Star Award Winners

Students from 44 Kansas City area high schools, who performed in 48 musical productions during the 2008-09 school year, sang and danced their way into the spotlight at Starlight Theatre tonight. During Starlight's seventh annual Blue Star Awards ceremony, their theatrical talents and achievements were cheered by more than 2,000 parents, friends, teachers and theatre fans attending the free public event.

At the end of the evening, many of the young performers and their theatre instructors took home top honors in the 23 award categories of Starlight's Blue Star Awards program. Participating schools came from throughout metropolitan Kansas City and surrounding communities.

The Blue Star Awards program at Starlight, patterned after Broadway's Tony Awards®, recognizes exceptional achievement in musical theatre at the high school level. The educational awards program is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. The related Rising Star Scholarship program is provided by an endowment funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Emmy and Michael Morrissey.

The May 21 Blue Star Awards ceremony included musical performances by the five schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Production, as well as medleys of songs performed by the nominees for Outstanding Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Lead Role. Approximately 115 student representatives from the 2009 Blue Star participating schools performed in the evening's opening number, "Kansas City" from Smokey Joe's Cafe.

Award presenters included special guest Shannon Durig, an Overland Park native, who starred in more than 1,000 performances as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray on Broadway. Now, Durig splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles, where she is creating a pilot for a TV sitcom. Other presenters included Starlight Theatre president and executive producer Denton Yockey; Starlight musical director Anthony Edwards; Lillie Zarda and Paul Hough of the American Heartland Theatre; Jeff Church of The Coterie Theatre; and local actors including Jay Cranford and Kip Niven.

The award ceremony also gave recognition to the two recipients of Starlight's 2009 Rising Star Scholarships. These $2,500 college scholarships are awarded to the high school male and female seniors who have had the most noteworthy impact on their high school theatre departments and demonstrated outstanding theatrical achievement. Scholarship recipients for 2009 were Megan Herrera of Grandview High School and Kent Reynolds of Piper High School. Herrera plans to attend Stephens College this the fall to pursue a degree in theatre arts, while Reynolds will attend Drake University to major in musical theatre.

The 2009 winners were recognized for their hard work and accomplishments by William Miller, a Rockhurst High School graduate and 2008 Rising Star Scholarship recipient.

New this year, as part of its participation in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, Starlight will sponsor the Lead Actor and Actress award recipients to participate in the first annual presentation of The Jimmy Awards on June 29 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

Presenting Broadway entertainment since 1951, the non-profit Starlight Theatre Association is Kansas City's oldest and largest performing arts organization. The Association operates, programs and maintains the largest stage in the United States, as well as the 16-acre Starlight Theatre complex. While assuming all annual operating costs for the complex, the Association also raises funds for capital improvements and a variety of programs, including national Broadway musical performances, concerts, community outreach and education. Since 2000, the Association has contributed more than $25 million of privately funded improvements to the Kansas City, Mo.-owned Starlight Theatre. Each Broadway season, Starlight donates more than 11,000 tickets to its performances to regional non-profit organizations serving the disadvantaged.

In 2007, Starlight Theatre was selected as the "Favorite Performing Arts Venue or Organization" in the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association's first-ever Visitors' Choice Awards program. Starlight also received Gold Awards for "Best Theater" and "Best Performing Arts Venue" in Ingram's 2007 Best of Business Kansas City Awards. The theatre seats approximately 8,000 and is located in Swope Park.

2009 Blue Star Award Nominees

	Outstanding Overall Production
Winner	Lee's Summit North High School - Les Miserables
	Lee's Summit West High School - Footloose
	Paola High School - A Year with Frog and Toad
	Platte County High School - All Shook Up
	Raymore-Peculiar High School - The Scarlet Pimpernel
	Outstanding Direction by a Teacher
	Lee's Summit West High School - Ben Martin - Footloose
	Paola High School - Leslie Coats - A Year with Frog and Toad
	Raymore-Peculiar High School - Todd Schnake - The Scarlet Pimpernel
Winner	Shawnee Mission North High School - Maureen Davis - Sweeney Todd
	Truman High School - Ron Meyer - The Wizard of Oz
	Outstanding Musical Direction
	Blue Valley High School - 42nd Street
Winner	Lee's Summit North High School - Les Miserables
	Paola High School - A Year with Frog and Toad
	Park Hill High School - Into the Woods
	Platte County High School - All Shook Up
	Outstanding Choreography and Staging
	Grandview High School - Meet Me in St. Louis
Winner	Harrisonville High School - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
	Raymore-Peculiar High School - The Scarlet Pimpernel
	Shawnee Mission North High School - Sweeney Todd
	Shawnee Mission South High School - Sweeney Todd
	Outstanding Orchestra
	Blue Valley High School - 42nd Street
	Lee's Summit North High School - Les Miserables
Winner	Olathe North High School - Brigadoon
	Park Hill High School - Into the Woods
	Shawnee Mission North High School - Beauty and the Beast
	Outstanding Scenic Design, Tier I
	Excelsior Springs High School - Grand Hotel
Winner	Grandview High School - Willy Wonka, Jr.
	Harrisonville High School - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
	Kearney High School - Into the Woods
	Olathe South High School - Urinetown
	Outstanding Scenic Design, Tier II
	The Barstow School - Rent
Winner	Central High School - The King and I
	Grandview High School - Meet Me in St. Louis
	Olathe South High School - Beauty and the Beast
	St. Teresa's Academy - Little Women
	Outstanding Lighting Design
	Blue Springs High School - Into the Woods
Winner	Lee's Summit West High School - Footloose
	Mill Valley High School - Thoroughly Modern Millie
	Saint Thomas Aquinas High School - The Sound of Music
	Shawnee Mission South High School - Sweeney Todd
	Outstanding Technical Crew
	The Barstow School - Rent - Set Crew
	Blue Valley High School - 42nd Street - Costume Crew
	Lee's Summit North High School - Les Miserables - Set Crew
Winner	Lee's Summit West High School - Footloose - Set Crew
	Paola High School - A Year with Frog and Toad - Set Crew
	Outstanding Costume Design
	The Barstow School - Rent
Winner	Central High School - The King and I
	Excelsior Springs High School - Grand Hotel
	Grandview High School - Willy Wonka, Jr.
	Olathe East High School - 42nd Street
	Outstanding Hair and Makeup Design
	Paola High School - A Year with Frog and Toad
	Raymore-Peculiar High School - The Scarlet Pimpernel
Winner	Shawnee Mission North High School - Sweeney Todd
	Spring Hill High School - Seussical, The Musical
	Truman High School - The Wizard of Oz
	Outstanding Graphic Design
	The Barstow School - Rent
	Kearney High School - Into the Woods
	Oak Park High School - Thoroughly Modern Millie
Winner	Raymore-Peculiar High School - The Scarlet Pimpernel
	Shawnee Mission North High School - Sweeney Todd
	Outstanding Lobby Design
Winner	The Barstow School - Rent
	Excelsior Springs High School - Grand Hotel
	Grandview High School - Willy Wonka, Jr.
	Harrisonville High School - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
	Kearney High School - Into the Woods
	Outstanding Chorus
	Lee's Summit High School - Singin' in the Rain
	Lee's Summit West High School - Footloose
Winner	Paola High School - A Year with Frog and Toad
	Shawnee Mission West High School - Footloose
	Truman High School - The Wizard of Oz
	Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role
Winner	Blue Valley High School - Samantha Steinmetz as Dorothy Brock - 42nd Street
	Cameron High School - Morgan Breckenridge as Audrey - Little Shop of Horrors
	Central High School - Hannah De Priest as Anna Leonowens - The King and I
	Grandview High School - Megan Herrera as Esther Smith - Meet Me in St. Louis
	Truman High School - Dana Masters as Dorothy - The Wizard of Oz
	Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role
	Olathe North High School - Zachary Boswell as Tommy Albright - Brigadoon
	Olathe South High School - Timothy Houston as Bobby Strong - Urinetown
Winner	Shawnee Mission West High School - Keegan Rice as Ren - Footloose
	Spring Hill High School - Alex Goering as Horton, the Elephant - Seussical, The Musical
	Truman High School - Spencer Wilson as Scarecrow - The Wizard of Oz
	Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role
	Excelsior Springs High School - Jennifer Knecht as Elizavita Grushinskaya - Grand Hotel
	Olathe South High School - Rebekah Watzig as Mrs. Potts - Beauty and the Beast
	The Pembroke Hill School - Jordan LeMay as Martha - The Secret Garden
	Rockhurst High School - Laura Nendick as Philia - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Winner	St. James Academy - Julia Griffin as Miss Hannigan - Annie
	Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner	The Barstow School - Blake Karsten Beaver as Angel Dumont Schunard - Rent
	Lee's Summit High School - Jonathon Musgrave as Cosmo Brown - Singin' in the Rain
	Olathe South High School - Andrew Nielson as Officer Lockstock - Urinetown
	Rockhurst High School - Paul Otto as Senex - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
	Shawnee Mission West High School - Eric Morris as Reverend Shaw - Footloose
	Outstanding Featured Performance
	Blue Valley High School - Whitney Thurman as Ann Reilly - 42nd Street
	Cameron High School - Caleb Cole as the Voice of Audrey II - Little Shop of Horrors
	Olathe South High School - Andrew Nielson as Cogsworth - Beauty and the Beast
	Paola High School - Natalie Scroggie as Bird/Turtle/Squirrel/Mole - A Year with Frog and Toad
Winner	Shawnee Mission South High School - Evan Michael Haas as Tobias Ragg - Sweeney Todd
	Outstanding Character Performance
	Grandview High School - Ryan Gilyard as Grandpa Prophater - Meet Me in St. Louis
	Olathe South High School - Liz Gray as Babette - Beauty and the Beast
	Paola High School - Alec Smith as Snail - A Year with Frog and Toad
	Shawnee Mission South High School - Samantha Morrow as Beggar Woman/Lucy - Sweeney Todd
Winner	Shawnee Mission West High School - David Gomez as Willard - Footloose
	Outstanding Ensemble Member
	The Barstow School - Cynthia Scott as Alexi Darling - Rent
	Central High School - Alicia Fee as Principal Dancer - The King and I
	Grandview High School - Christian Dean as Clinton Badger - Meet Me in St. Louis
	Lee's Summit North High School - Ben Forrester as Grantaire/Labourer - Les Miserables
Winner	Olathe South High School - Hannah Kallenbach as Silly Girl #3 - Beauty and the Beast
	Outstanding Group Ensemble
Winner	Central High School - Uncle Thomas Ensemble - The King and I
	Lee's Summit North High School - Students at the Barricade - Les Miserables
	Olathe South High School - The Silly Girls - Beauty and the Beast
	Raymore-Peculiar High School - Members of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel - The Scarlet Pimpernel
	St. Teresa's Academy - Operatic Tragedy Cast - Little Women
	Outstanding Technical Achievement
Winner	Shawnee Mission Northwest High School - Samantha Kendrick
Winner	Raymore-Peculiar High School - Devin Connelly
	Rising Star Scholarship Recipients
Winner	Grandview High School - Megan Herrera
Winner	Piper High School - Kent Reynolds

 

 

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