Announcing the Winners of Pittsburgh CLO's 2016 Gene Kelly Awards!

A sold-out crowd gathered at the Benedum Center as Pittsburgh CLO honored Allegheny County's finest high school performers at the 26th Annual Pittsburgh CLO Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater on Saturday, May 28, 2016.

Named for legendary performer and Pittsburgh native Gene Kelly, the annual celebration emphasizes the importance of arts education and recognizes the time, energy and dedication that local high schools devote to their musical productions each spring.

Patterned after the Tony Awards, the ceremony included live performances by the Best Musical nominees and Best Actor/Actress nominees. Each nominated school performed a five-minute selection from their respective shows. Special guest presenters included local television personalities: WPXI's David Johnson, WQED's Nancy Polinsky and KDKA's Bob Pompeani.

Pittsburgh CLO congratulates the 2016 Gene Kelly Awards winners, nominees and the following 28 participating Allegheny County high schools: Avonworth, Baldwin, Bishop Canevin, Central Catholic, Chartiers Valley, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Hampton, Keystone Oaks, North Hills, Northgate, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy, Pittsburgh Brashear, Pittsburgh CAPA, Pittsburgh Perry, Plum, Propel Braddock Hills, Quaker Valley, Riverview, Springdale, St. Joseph, West Allegheny, West Mifflin, and Woodland Hills.

The Charles Gray Award for Special Achievement in Arts Education was presented to Pittsburgh Dilworth, in recognition of its arts education program. The program places an importance on diversity of art, creatively integrates the arts into the academic classroom, creates engagement in every aspect of their community, and has committed to provide faculty with professional development in arts integration.

This year, Pittsburgh CLO awarded $117,000 in scholarships to several college-bound seniors at the ceremony.

Troy Centofanto and Teresa Gregory, representing Point Park University, presented Alexa Newbrough, Nicole Perrone, and Keaton Runco with a $5,000 scholarship per year, renewable for four years, to attend Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts for Musical Theater or their Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management program.

Pittsburgh CLO awarded Gene Kelly Cash Scholarships totaling $10,000 to three high school seniors who have applied and been accepted to a school for the performing or technical arts. This year's recipients are Paul Watt-Morse, Miranda Miller, and Alexander Wood. These merit-based scholarships are made possible through the generous donations of Donald Arnheim, Paul E. Block, Virginia S. Nicklas and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The Pittsburgh CLO Ambassadors awarded $5,000 in scholarships to two college-bound students who will be pursuing a major outside of the arts. The 2016 Ambassadors' Scholarship winners are Alexander Conte and Jeremiah Lyons.

The Pittsburgh CLO Guild awarded $42,000 in scholarships to 10 students who are pursuing a college education in theater arts. This year's recipients are Cassawndra Brugos, Ya'ShaNikquia Delaney, Ty Kunzelman, Elizabeth Miller, Benjamin Pimental, Halle Polechko, Joseph Serafini, Yu-Chen Shih, Marcello Valletta and Rachel Wanamaker.

Now in its 13th year, The Kelly Critics program is a unique partnership between the Pittsburgh CLO and Dr. Christopher Rawson. Dr. Rawson presented the Christopher Rawson Kelly Critics Award. Morgan Seiff from Hampton was presented with the award for excellence in writing theatrical critiques.

The Recipients of the 2016 Gene Kelly Awards are:

Best Scenic Design

Budget Level I:
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Budget Level II:
Chartiers Valley for LES MISERABLES

Budget Level III:
Woodland Hills for Peter Pan

Best Costume Design

Budget Level I:
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Budget Level II:
Hampton for Monty Python's Spamalot

Budget Level III:
Woodland Hills for Peter Pan

Best Lighting Design

Budget Level I:
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Budget Level II:
Chartiers Valley for LES MISERABLES

Budget Level III:
Woodland Hills for Peter Pan

Best All-Student Orchestra
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Alexander Wood of Hampton for Sir Dennis Galahad/Prince Herbert in Monty Python's Spamalot

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Ariel Squire of Pittsburgh CAPA for Rosalia in West Side Story

Best Ensemble
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Best Crew/Technical Execution
Woodland Hills for Peter Pan

Best Execution of Choreography
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Best Execution of Direction
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Best Execution of Music Direction
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Best Actor
Devin Moore of Chartiers Valley for Jean Valjean in LES MISERABLES

Best Actress
Marnie Quick of Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy for Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical

The winners for Best Actor and Best Actress will represent Pittsburgh CLO's Gene Kelly Awards in the seventh-annual National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City on Monday, June 27. The National High School Musical Theater Awards impacts more than 50,000 students annually who participate in high school musical theater competitions sponsored by top professional theaters throughout the US. A Best Actress and Best Actor winner from each of these competitions is sent to New York for a weeklong theater intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase at The Jimmy Awards on Broadway, where a panel of judges crowns the nation's top performers. Since its inception in 2009, the program has been the catalyst for more than $750,000 in educational scholarships awarded to its participants. For more information, visit www.nhsmta.com.

Best Musical

Budget Level I:
Pittsburgh CAPA for West Side Story

Budget Level II:
Chartiers Valley for LES MISERABLES

Budget Level III:
Baldwin for Big Fish

Pittsburgh CLO's Gene Kelly Awards are presented with additional support provided by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, PNC, The University of Pittsburgh, Virginia S. Nicklas and the CLO Ambassadors.

The Charles Gray Award is made possible by the Roy A. Hunt Foundation.

The Pittsburgh CLO would also like to thank The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for the use of the Benedum Center. The results are tabulated by Deloitte.

To post a comment, you must register and login.