Hennepin Theatre Trust Reveals Spring 2015 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program Honors

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today the spring 2015 honorees recognizing theatre accomplishments by Minnesota students and schools participating in the 2014-15 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program culminating in the SpotLight Showcase Sunday, June 14 and Monday, June 15 at the State Theatre (805 Hennepin Ave., downtown Minneapolis). Now celebrating its Tenth Anniversary, SpotLight is the Trust's premier education initiative which supports and honors Minnesota high school musical theatre students and programs that produce annual musicals. Minnesota native, award-winning Broadway performer and former SpotLight participant, Laura Osnes, is the current SpotLight spokesperson.

During 2014-2015, a record number of 77 schools including 18 from greater Minnesota, are presenting musicals made possible by the collaboration of almost 6,000 students. These productions are seen annually by an estimated 175,000 audience members. This past spring, 39 schools presented musicals and a group of evaluators assessed each school's production. They submitted nominations for categories including outstanding performance in leading, supporting and featured roles; outstanding performance by a chorus, dance ensemble and student orchestra; outstanding overall performance of a musical, and outstanding overall production of a musical. Shows are not compared or ranked against each other, so categories may have multiple honorees.

Spring honorees are from schools located in Alexandria, Andover, Anoka, Apple Valley, Blaine, Bloomington, Buffalo, Collegeville, Columbia Heights, Coon Rapids, Cottage Grove, Dodge Center, Eden Prairie, Faribault, Hopkins, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Maplewood, Mendota Heights, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Oakdale, Richfield, Rogers, Sauk Rapids, Spring Lake Park, St. Francis, St. Louis Park and St. Paul. The complete list of schools and honorees is available online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org. Fall honors were announced previously.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of SpotLight, the only program of its kind in Minnesota. It has served more than 40,000 students and 100 schools, growing from 18 schools in 2005-2006 to 77 schools for 2014-2015. SpotLight provides significantly valuable educational, performing and creative experiences that help students develop essential skills for success such as collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and self-expression. In the program, students work with local and national theatre professionals who offer training, hands-on learning, critical feedback, on-site school workshops and master classes.

Schools and participating students will be honored at SpotLight's culminating event, the Tenth Annual SpotLight Showcase which takes place over two nights at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 14 and at 7 p.m. Monday, June 15 at the historic State Theatre (805 Hennepin Ave., downtown Minneapolis). A limited number of tickets for each performance are on sale now for only $15 and may be purchased in person (no service fees) at the State Theatre Box Office (805 Hennepin Ave.) or online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org. "Friends of SpotLight" tickets, including priority seating and a tax deductible donation to the SpotLight Program, are available for between $25 and $100 and may be purchased online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org or by calling 612.455.9536.

Educators who want to participate in SpotLight for the 2015-16 school year should contact Sarah Paquin, Programming Assistant, at 612.455.9529 or Sarah.Paquin@HennepinTheatreTrust.org. The application deadline will be in October 2015. SpotLight is made possible by private donations and corporate contributions.

School Participants in the 2014-15 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program

Alexandria Area High School: Mary Poppins

Andover High School: A Year With Frog and Toad

Anoka High School: Seussical the Musical and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Apple Valley High School: Bye Bye Birdie

Bemidji High School: The Wizard of Oz

Benilde-St. Margaret's (St. Louis Park): Urinetown: The Musical

Blaine High School: Once On This Island

The Blake School (Minneapolis): Anything Goes

Buffalo High School: Children of Eden

Cambridge-Isanti High School: Back to the 80s

Centennial High School (Circle Pines): Legally Blonde The Musical

Chanhassen High School: The Addams Family

Chaska High School: Footloose

Chisago Lakes High School (Lindstrom): White Christmas

Columbia Heights High School: The Addams Family

Concordia Academy (St. Paul): Bye Bye Birdie

Coon Rapids High School: The Drowsy Chaperone

Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul): Hairspray

DeLaSalle High School (Minneapolis): Babes in Arms

Eagan High School: Godspell

East Ridge High School (Woodbury): Into the Woods

Eastview High School (Apple Valley): Hairspray

Edina High School: Little Shop of Horrors

The FAIR School (Minneapolis): Hairspray, Jr.

Farmington High School: Urinetown: The Musical

Forest Lake Area High School: Anything Goes

Fridley High School: Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida

Glencoe-Silver Lake High School: Shrek the Musical

Henry Sibley High School (Mendota Heights): Guys and Dolls

Hibbing High School: Bye Bye Birdie

Hill-Murray School (Maplewood): High School Musical

Hinckley-Finlayson: Anne of Green Gables

International School of Minnesota (Eden Prairie): Shrek the Musical

Irondale High School (New Brighton): Anything Goes

Kennedy High School (Bloomington): Shrek the Musical

Lakeville North High School: Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

Lakeville South High School: Oliver!

Main Street School of Performing Arts (Hopkins): The Wedding Singer

Mankato East High School: In the Heights

Maple Grove Senior High: Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis): The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Minnetonka High School: Urinetown: The Musical and Brigadoon

Moorhead High School: Chicago

Mound Westonka High School: Band Geeks

Mounds Park Academy (St. Paul): The Wizard of Oz

New Life Academy (Woodbury): Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

North High School (North St. Paul) Grease

Park High School (Cottage Grove): Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

Pierz Healy High School (Pierz): High School Musical

Princeton High School: The Music Man

Richfield High School: Across the Universe

Rogers High School: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Rosemount High School: A Christmas Carol

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School: Oklahoma and Pirates of Penzance Jr.

Shakopee High School: The Drowsy Chaperone

Shattuck St. Mary's School (Faribault): Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella

Simley High School (Inver Grove Heights): Hairspray

South High School (Minneapolis): The Wiz

South St. Paul Secondary School: Disney's Aladdin

Southwest High School (Minneapolis): Ragtime

Spring Lake Park High School: Shrek the Musical

Saint John's Prep School (Collegeville): Oliver!

Saint Paul Academy and Summit School: Urinetown: The Musical

St. Francis High School: Footloose

St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists: Anything Goes, Once on this Island and Fugitive Songs

Tartan Senior High School (Oakdale): The Wizard of Oz and 9 to 5

Thomas Jefferson High School (Bloomington): Seussical the Musical

Totino-Grace High School (Fridley): Shrek the Musical

Triton High School (Dodge Center): Fiddler on the Roof

Visitation School and Saint Thomas Academy, VISTA Productions: The Drowsy Chaperone

Washburn High School (Minneapolis): Dracula: A Pain In The Neck and In the Heights

Watertown-Mayer High School: Pippin

Wayzata High School (Plymouth): Spamalot

White Bear Lake Area High School: The Addams Family

Winona Senior High School: Shrek the Musical

Woodbury High School: Curtains

Zimmerman High School: The Music Man

HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST, owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and New Century Theatres, is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to arts-inspired community cultural development. We achieve our mission by presenting a rich mix of live performances, creating inspiring arts education experiences and advancing a thriving Cultural District in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Trust's activities include presenting Broadway touring productions and the related Broadway Confidential series, concerts, comedy, speakers and other variety entertainment, plus educational initiatives including our SpotLight Musical Theatre and SpotLight Critical Review programs for high schools, Teen Ushers, the Access Program and Family Day on Hennepin events.

The SpotLight Showcase events are funded, in part, by the Minnesota State Arts Board through the arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

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