Preliminary Nominations for 4th Annual Jerry Herman Awards Announced!

Today, the Nederlander Organization and Hollywood Pantages Theatre announced preliminary nominees for THE 4TH ANNUAL JERRY HERMAN AWARDS, a celebration of the achievement and excellence in high school musical theatre in Los Angeles. Final nominations in all production and performance categories will be announced on Tuesday, May 26th.

The annual awards show will be hosted by KABC-7 Reporter George Pennacchio at the Hollywood Pantages on Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7pm. All tickets for this awards celebration are $25 and are now on sale to the public online at www.JerryHermanAwards.com, www.HollywoodPantages.com/JHA2015, www.Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-982-2787 or at the Hollywood Pantages Box Office (6233 Hollywood Blvd). Group tickets are available at www.PantagesGroups.com or by calling 866-755-3075 Mon-Fri; 10am-5pm PT.

Presenters from the worlds of Broadway, film & television currently confirmed to present awards include Corbin Bleu, Roger Bart, Kevin Chamberlin, Rico Rodriguez, Raini Rodriguez, Renée Marino, Jared Gertner, Jai Rodriguez, Josh Sussman, Lisa Ann Walter & Davis Gaines. Additional celebrity presenters and other special guests are expected to be announced soon.

THE 4TH ANNUAL JERRY HERMAN AWARDS is directed by John Bowab, with Musical Direction by Gerald Sternbach and Musical Staging by Patti Colombo. Director of Education and Outreach is Paul Gleason, and the event is produced by Martin Wiviott.

This year's recipient of the Ed Lester Lifetime Achievement Award is Los Angeles Arts Educator, and L.A. Opera Legend, Suzanna Guzman, who will be receiving the award from last year's recipient, Paul G. Gleason.

Following in the tradition of year's past, THE JERRY HERMAN AWARDS has invited four high schools to perform musical numbers during the awards program. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School will perform "Transylvania Mania" from Young Frankenstein, Oak Park High School will perform "And the Money Kept Rolling In" from Evita, New Community Jewish High School will perform the opening number from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Chaminade College Preparatory High School will perform "Gaston" from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

All schools participating in THE JERRY HERMAN AWARDS are given the opportunity to send a leading man and leading lady to audition before a panel of judges, who determine the winner of the Best Actor and Best Actress categories. Winners in these two awards categories will represent Los Angeles at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City, where they will participate in a week long workshop and eventually compete for the coveted "Jimmy" Award; named after the owner of Hollywood Pantages: James M. Nederlander. This year's panel of judges includes Kenny Ortega, Cathy Rigby, Kay Cole, Nancy Dussault & John Bowab.

Preliminary Nominations for the 4th Annual Jerry Herman Awards

During an eight month period this school year, over 32 eligible productions from 29 high schools were attended by adjudicators and scored in multiple creative, technical and performance categories, much like Broadway's Tony Awards. Final high school productions are currently expected to conclude by Sunday, May 24th. The preliminary list of nominees for the 4th Annual JERRY HERMAN AWARDS are:

Best Scenic Design Best Costume Design

Godspell - Monrovia High School Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Canyon High School

Hairspray - Arcadia High School Godspell - Oaks Christian High School

In the Heights - La Habra High School How to Succeed in Business - Viewpoint School

Les Miserables - La Habra High School Legally Blonde - John Burroughs High School

Once On This Island - Oakwood School Les Miserables - La Habra High School

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Marina High School Thoroughly Modern Millie - Marina High School

Wizard of Oz - Santa Monica High School Thoroughly Modern Millie - Mira Costa High School

Zorro the Musical - Chadwick School Rent - L.A.C.H.S.A.

Best Lighting Design Best Orchestra

Beauty and the Beast - Chaminade College Preparatory Beauty and the Beast - Hamilton High School

Godspell - Monrovia High School Evita - Oak Park High School

Godspell - Oaks Christian School Hairspray - Covina High School

Hairspray - Arcadia High School Shrek the Musical - Santa Susana High School

Jesus Christ Superstar - Archer School for Girls Thoroughly Modern Millie - Mira Costa High School

In the Heights - La Habra High School

Zorro the Musical - Chadwick School

Best Technical Crew Best Ensemble/Chorus

Beauty and the Beast - Chaminade College Preparatory 25th Annual...Bee - New Community Jewish High School

Godspell - Oaks Christian School A Chorus Line - Oak Park High School

Legally Blonde - John Burroughs High School Beauty and the Beast - Chaminade College Preparatory

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Marina High School Beauty and the Beast - Hamilton High School

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Mira Costa High School Godspell - Oaks Christian School

Wizard of Oz - Santa Monica High School Godspell - Monrovia High School

Zorro the Musical- Chadwick School In the Heights - La Habra High School

Les Miserables - La Habra High School

Little Shop of Horrors - HArts Academy

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Village Christian School

Young Frankenstein - Palos Verdes Peninsula H.S.

Zorro the Musical- Chadwick School

Best Musical Staging/Choreography Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

A Chorus Line - San Marino High School Nick Amato - Shrek the Musical at Santa Susana High School

In the Heights - La Habra High School Matthew Eaton - Hairspray at Arcadia High School

Legally Blonde - John Burroughs High School Joel Loth - Beauty and the Beast at Chaminade College Preparatory

Rent - L.A.C.H.S.A. Jonathan Madamba - Urinetown at Whitney High School

Zorro the Musical - Chadwick School Joe Perlot - Thoroughly Modern Millie at Redondo Union H.S.

James Ripple -Thoroughly Modern Millie at Village Christian School

Ethan Robarts - Beauty and the Beast at Hamilton High School

Zach Rubin - 25th...Spelling Bee at New Community Jewish H.S.

Matt Shaw - Thoroughly Modern Millie at Marina H.S.

Best Musical Direction Best Supporting Actress in a Musical

25th Annual...Spelling Bee - New Community Jewish High School Daphne Chiang - Urinetown at Whitney High School

Beauty and the Beast - Chaminade College Preparatory Lauren Dietzel - A Chorus Line at San Marino High School

Godspell - Oaks Christian School Sophie Elkins - 25th...Spelling Bee at New Community Jewish H.S.

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Marina High School Hannah Hilden - Young Frankenstein at Palos Verdes Peninsula H.S.

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Mira Costa High School Gracie Jurczyk- Beauty and the Beast at Chaminade College Prep

Thoroughly Modern Millie - Redondo Union High School Faydean Kielty - Legally Blonde at John Burroughs High School

Shrek the Musical - Santa Susana High School Meghan Pender - Hairspray at Arcadia High School

Young Frankenstein - Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Billie Wakeham - Jesus Christ Superstar at Archer School for Girls

"No Small Parts" Award Best Musical

Zach Fogel - Les Miserables at La Habra High School 25th Annual...Bee - New Community Jewish High School

Garianna Geiselman - Godspell at Oaks Christian School Beauty and the Beast - Chaminade College Preparatory

Grace Osimo - Godspell at Monrovia High School In the Heights - La Habra High School

Josh Ponco - Shrek the Musical at Santa Susana High School Les Miserables - La Habra High School

Pete Thiengtrong - Urinetown at Whitney High School Rent - L.A.C.H.S.A.

Brandon Winner - Zorro the Musical at Chadwick School Thoroughly Modern Millie - Mira Costa High School

Young Frankenstein - Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

Zorro the Musical - Chadwick School

For a full list of competing high schools and current breakdown of nominations, please visit www.JerryHermanAwards.com. Please Note: Final nominations in all performance and production categories will be announced on Tuesday, May 26th.

THE JERRY HERMAN AWARDS is a local celebration dedicated to recognizing, encouraging, and rewarding achievements and excellence in high school musical theatre. It is the local award ceremony for THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS, also known as The Jimmys, which take place annually at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway in New York City. This year, the national awards show will take place on Monday, June 29th.

THE JERRY HERMAN AWARDS has a run time of 2 Hours and 45 Minutes and is recommended for all ages. (Please note that in consideration of audiences, no one under 2½ years of age will be admitted to the theatre.)

For more information on THE JERRY HERMAN AWARDS, please visit www.JerryHermanAwards.com.

For tickets or more information about THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS, please visit www.nhsmta.com.

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