The 5th Avenue Theatre Honors Washington's High School Musical Theater Programs

High school students from across Washington state packed The 5th Avenue Theatre tonight for The 11th Annual 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theater, a high school version of the Tony Awards proudly presented by Wells Fargo. The house was packed with 2,200 teenagers, dressed in costume representing their schools' musical Theater Productions, who cheered for their peers as they performed musical excerpts and accepted awards honoring top student achievements in musical theater. The acclaimed event, directed this year by Kat Rambsurg, handed out awards in 21 categories ranging from Outstanding Overall Musical Production to Outstanding Lobby Display.

"The High School Awards is always an exciting night to be at The 5th Avenue," says Wells Fargo Vice President of Community Affairs, Mark Dederer. "It is events like this that celebrate arts, education, and students, that bring a special energy to the theater and to the participating schools. The student performances are always electrifying and Wells Fargo is honored to support this event and wish congratulations to all the nominees and recipients."

Hanford High School took home top honors at The 11th Annual 5th Avenue Awards, leaving at the end of the night with the award for Outstanding Overall Musical Production for their hit show, The Drowsy Chaperone. They also received the award for Outstanding Performance by a Chorus. Tied for receiving the greatest number of awards for the evening were University High School's Urinetown and Lewis and Clark High School's In the Heights; each captured three 5th Avenue Awards. Thirteen other high schools were recognized with the remaining awards.

In an unusual twist, Lewis and Clark High School student Danny Palomba (In the Heights) and Pasco High Schoolstudent Franklin Castellanos (In the Heights) tied for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. Eisenhower High School student Tori Gresham received the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Annie Get Your Gun). This is Gresham's third 5th Avenue Award - previous awards include Outstanding Choreography for her work on Eisenhower's production of The Boyfriend and Outstanding Actress for her work as a freshman in All Shook Up.

Camas High School took home the award for Outstanding Direction (Into the Woods), Kentridge High Schoolreceived the award for Outstanding Music Direction (Evita), and Lewis and Clark High School brought home the award for Outstanding Choreography (In the Heights).

This year saw the Second Annual Special Honor for Outstanding Educator given to Woodinville High School drama teacher Leslie Herlich. A talented educator, Herlich received her degree in Theatre Arts from the State University of New York at Genesco, and is presently a board member of the Washington State Thespians. Teaching classes ranging from English to Musical Theatre and Technical Theatre Production, Herlich has been an invaluable asset to the Woodinville High School Drama Department and has seen many of her past students go on to perform across America.

Many 5th Avenue Award participants have had notable careers as actors, directors, designers and theater administrators both in Seattle and around the country. Stefano Langone was a recent Top 10 contestant on the hit television show American Idol; Ryah Nixon appeared in the national tour of 9 to 5: The Musical; and Brandon Ivie has a blossoming Broadway career. Additional past participants have included Seattle stars and 5th Avenue favorites Jared Michael Brown, Gabe Corey, Sarah Davis, Kirsten Delohr Helland, Diana Huey, and Cayman Ilika, among many others.

Since its inception, The 5th Avenue Awards has grown in size and scope from 24 productions and 3,100 students to 105 productions at 88 schools, with more than 10,000 students participating this year. For the 2012/13 high school theater season, 184 nominations, 127 honorable mentions, and 32 special awards were given out in various categories. Schools from as far away as Spokane, Lynden, Sequim and Vancouver, WA, are reporting back to The 5th Avenue that their involvement in this awards program has significantly helped their individual efforts to secure funding, improve curriculum and increase student participation in their arts programs.

For a full list of 5th Avenue Award recipients, visit the 2013 5th Avenue Awards page at: http://www.5thavenue.org/education/student-programs#5th-avenue-awards.

The award ceremony was webcast live on The 5th Avenue Facebook page, and will also be broadcast on TVW. Visit www.tvw.org for airdates and times.

The 5th Avenue sincerely thanks Wells Fargo for its sponsorship of this important event for the eighth year in a row. In Washington, Wells Fargo has nearly 5,000 team members and 228 banking, mortgage and financial stores. Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $1.2 trillion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance across North America and internationally through more than 10,000 stores and 12,000 ATMs and the Internet (www.wellsfargo.com and www.wachovia.com).

About The 5th Avenue Theatre

The 5th Avenue Theatre is one of the nation's premier incubators for new musical theater. Since 2002, the celebrated company has produced 14 new musicals. To date, seven have moved on to Broadway premieres, including the recent debuts of Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson (formerly Saving Aimee) and A Christmas Story, The Musical! These seven Broadway musicals have earned a combined 14 Tony Awards, including two for Best Musical (Hairspray and Memphis). Two more have been announced for Broadway - First Date (Summer 2013) and Disney's Aladdin (Spring 2014). The 5th Avenue Theatre is also known for its world class, critically acclaimed productions of musicals chosen from both the contemporary canon and the Golden Age of Broadway.

Unique in its Chinese-inspired design, this exquisite theater opened in 1926 as a venue for vaudeville and film. In 1980, the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre began producing and presenting top-quality live musical theater. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, Managing Director Bernadine C. Griffin and Producing Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue Theatre attracts an annual attendance of more than 287,000 and ranks among the nation's largest and most respected musical theater companies.

In addition to its main stage productions, The 5th Avenue Theatre is also committed to encouraging the next generation of theatergoers through its extensive educational outreach program which includes: The Adventure Musical Theatre Touring Company, The 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theater, the Rising Star Project, Show Talks with Albert Evans, Curtain Up, the Student Matinee Program, and Spotlight Nights.

For more information about The 5th Avenue Theatre, its season and its programs, please visit www.5thavenue.org.

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