The Smith Center to Host 5th Annual Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards

 

As part of its ongoing efforts to foster love of the arts among Nevada's youth, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts will host the fifth annual Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards at 2 p.m. on May 21 in Reynolds Hall to recognize the state's top musical theater students.

With community members invited to attend, the competition will showcase singing, dancing and acting performances by 17 high school students from nine schools across Nevada, with two winners selected to compete in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City this June.

Tickets for the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards cost $10, and may be purchased in-person at The Smith Center or online at www.TheSmithCenter.com.

Students competing at The Smith Center, each selected by their schools to participate, will perform before the audience and a panel of esteemed judges. The top two students awarded with the Dr. Keith Boman Prize for "Best Performance by an Actor" and "Best Performance by an Actress" will receive a complimentary 10-day trip to New York City to represent Nevada in the national awards show known as The Jimmy Awards.

The winners' trip will include private coaching, master classes and rehearsals with renowned professionals. Participants in the national event will also receive opportunities for merit scholarships and professional advancement, as well as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform on stage at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. The event will culminate with a panel of industry experts selecting two exceptional students for The Jimmy Award for "Best Performance."

"We at The Smith Center have been blown away every year by the student performances on our stage during this event," said MyRon Martin, Smith Center president and CEO. "Nevada has tremendously talented young performers, and it's a thrill to see their hard work pay off with gracing a Broadway stage."

The competitors at this year’s Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards include:

• Selena Caballero, Centennial High School

• Ariana Castaneda, Bonanza High School

• Tyler Coomes, West Career and Technical Academy

• Sam Danielson Jr., West Career and Technical Academy

• Joseph Frizzell, Calvary Chapel Christian School

• Yesenia Gonzalez, Silverado College Preparatory

• Abraham Hunsaker, Silverado College Preparatory

• Ria Joshi, Bishop Gorman High School

• Abigail Loverme, Lincoln County High School

• Devon Mangani, Bonanza High School

• Juliana Puckett, Calvary Chapel Christian School

• Daniel Shim, Bishop Gorman High School

• Nathan Sink, Centennial High School

• Adelynn Tourondel, Green Valley High School

• Jake Van Orden, Green Valley High School

• David Wade, Las Vegas Academy of the Arts

• Nikole York, Las Vegas Academy of the Arts

Created in 2013, the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards welcomes public, private, charter and nonprofit high schools across the state to nominate two students from their respective school. In order to qualify, students must have played a leading role in an eligible, full-length musical production on their high school campus during the school year.

For more information about the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards and how to qualify for the competition in the 2017-2018 school year, visit www.TheSmithCenter.com or call 702-749-2542.

The hallmark of downtown Las Vegas' 61-acre urban development known as Symphony Park, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is a public-private partnership that opened in March 2012. Heralded as the city's Heart of the Arts, The Smith Center is an architectural triumph and long-awaited cultural achievement that educates and entertains the citizens of Southern Nevada. The $470 million world-class performing arts center offers a blend of performances by resident companies, first-run touring attractions, lectures and internationally-acclaimed performers in music, theater and dance. The 5-acre campus features four performance spaces including the 2,050-seat Reynolds Hall, the 240-seat Cabaret Jazz club, the 240-seat Troesh Studio Theater and the 1.7-acre Donald W. Reynolds Symphony Park for outdoor concerts. Additionally, the campus is home to the Discovery Children's Museum that opened in March 2013. For more information about The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, please visit www.TheSmithCenter.com. Keep up with news and events on Facebook and follow The Smith Center on Twitter at @SmithCenterLV.

 

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