Finalists Announced for Fifth Annual Triangle Rising Star Awards

Durham, N.C. - Along with Theatre in the Park, Playmakers Repertory Company, Durham Arts Council and ABC 11, DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center, is thrilled to present the culmination of this year's Triangle Rising Star program announced from a record number of applicants. The Triangle Rising Star Live Showcase and Awards show will take place at DPAC on Tuesday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. starring student finalists from high school musical productions in the Triangle region and beyond. Triangle Rising Star is a non-profit education initiative created in 2011 to celebrate high school theater students who participate and excel with wide -ranging talents in their musical productions. Triangle Rising Star is a regional qualifying program for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA).

Tickets starting at just $10 for the Live Showcase and Awards Show at DPAC are on sale now*:

• Online at DPACnc.com

· DPAC Ticket Center: 919.680.2787, 123 Vivian Street, Durham, NC

· Ticketmaster.com / Ticketmaster Charge by phone at 800.745.3000

*All ticket sales support the Triangle Rising Star program.

"DPAC is pleased to recognize such remarkable local talent from regions all over the Triangle and as far as Siler City and Clayton for our upcoming Triangle Rising Star Awards. It is a wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity for a chance to experience performing on the DPAC stage as well as the opportunity to be a part of our very own Nederlander program in New York City, the Jimmy Awards™," stated Rachel Traversari, Senior Director of Marketing at DPAC.

The Triangle Rising Star Best Actor and Best Actress scholarships will be awarded following a final closed audition process and several days of work shopping and rehearsals to take place leading up to the showcase ticketed event on May 19. The judging panel began the audition process in the fall by attending and adjudicating high school musicals from a record number of 64 applicants across 21 high schools. As a regional qualifier program, The Triangle Rising Star Best Actor and Best Actress recipients will also be invited to attend the National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City on June 23 - June 30, 2015. This all-expense paid trip allows students from across the country to train with Broadway actors, directors and producers. Their week of coaching, auditions and rehearsals concludes with a sold-out performance on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre (Home of Disney's The Lion King©) where the coveted Jimmy™ Awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress are announced.

TRIANGLE RISING STAR BEST ACTRESS FINALISTS:

• Wake County, Enloe High School: Bailey Lee (Kim, Miss Saigon)
• Durham County, CE Jordan High School: Faith Jones (Dorothy, The Wiz)
• Johnston County, Clayton High School: Melode Stanton (Gertrude, Seussical the Musical)
• Wake County, Panther Creek High School: Kaylee Terrell (Cinderella, Into the Woods)
• Wake County, Holly Springs High School: Brandi Campbell (Maria, The Sound of Music)
• Wake County, Wakefield High School: Shelby Barros (Judy Bernly, 9 to 5)
• Wake County, Athens Drive High School: Sabrina Palazzo (Paulette, Legally Blonde the Musical)
• Chatham County, Northwood High School: Katie Robbins (Rosemary, How to Succeed In a Business Without Really Trying)
• Wake County, Cary High School: Nicole Wood (Princess Winnifred, Once Upon a Mattress)
• Wake County, Sanderson High School: Mila Bolash (Rosie Alvarez, Bye Bye Birdie)

TRIANGLE RISING STAR BEST ACTOR FINALISTS:

• Wake County, Apex High School: David Flowers (Marius, Les Miserables)
• Chatham County, Jordan Matthews High School: Nicholas Guariglia (Kenickie, Grease)
• Wake County, Enloe High School: Alex Fernandez (John Thomas, Miss Saigon)
• Wake County, Apex High School: Will Stapleton (Jean Valjean, Les Miserables)
• Durham County, Voyager Academy: Kai Kelley (Baker, Into the Woods)
• Durham County, Durham School of the Arts: Wilson Plonk (Frank, Annie Get Your Gun)
• Wake County, Holly Springs High School: Blake West (Captain von Trapp, The Sound of Music)
• Wake County, Millbrook High School: Collin Yates (Jekyll/Hyde, Jekyll & Hyde)
• Wake County, Apex High School: Joshua Menzies (Javert, Les Miserables)
• Wake County, Panther Creek High School: Blake Benson (Baker, Into the Woods)

"PlayMakers Repetory Company is thrilled to partner with DPAC again this year as a part of the Triangle Rising Star program," said Jenny Wales, Education Manager of PlayMakers Repertory Company. "The talent in the Triangle area is extraordinary and we are pleased to support this fantastic program that allows our area talent an opportunity to perform at DPAC and share the talent here in North Carolina with a national audience at the Jimmy Awards in NYC."

The Triangle Rising Star Awards event on May 19 will be hosted by ABC 11's Tisha Powell. The 20 finalists will be featured in group performances, as well as a medley of individual performances where each student will showcase their own solos. Along with the Best Actor and Best Actress awards, accolades will also be given for Best Musical and Best Ensemble. From the participating schools, four finalists have already been chosen for these honors:

BEST MUSICAL:

· Les Miserables, Apex High School

· The Sound of Music, Holly Springs High School

· Dreamgirls, Hillside High School

· Miss Saigon, Enloe High School

BEST ENSEMBLE:

· Into the Woods, Panther Creek High School

· Mary Poppins, Cresset Christian Academy

· Annie Get Your Gun, Durham School of the Arts

· Seussical the Musical, Clayton High School

For more information about the Triangle Rising Star Program, visit: http://www.dpacnc.com/trs

For more information about the National High School Musical Theatre Awards/ Jimmy™ Awards, visit:http://nhsmta.com

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