Pittsburgh CLO has revealed the nominees for the 27th annual Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater, representing the spring musicals presented by 27 Allegheny County high schools.
The nominations were announced Wednesday morning. Winners will be called up to the Benedum Center stage at the awards ceremony -— a musical celebration patterned after Broadway’s Tony Awards — at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27.
Nominees and winners were chosen by a panel of 32 judges who attended performances by the following 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, Pine-Richland, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Pittsburgh Obama Academy, Pittsburgh Brashear, Pittsburgh CAPA, Pittsburgh Perry, Plum, Quaker Valley, Riverview, Seton-LaSalle, Springdale, St. Joseph, West Allegheny, West Mifflin and Woodland Hills. Scoring was then tabulated by Deloitte LLP.
The winner of the Christopher Rawson Kelly Critics Award, a joint program of the Kellys and the Post-Gazette, also will be announced at the ceremony, and cash and university scholarships will be awarded through the donations of Paul Block, the CLO Ambassadors, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and participating colleges. The best actor and actress winners will represent the Kellys at the eighth annual National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City on June 26.
The nominees for the 2017 Pittsburgh CLO Gene Kelly Awards are:
BEST MUSICAL
Budget Level I
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, "Footloose"
Pittsburgh Obama, "Sister Act"
St. Joseph, "Hello, Dolly!"
Budget Level II
Central Catholic, "In the Heights"
Elizabeth Forward, "Anything Goes"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
Budget Level III
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot"
BEST ACTOR
Nick Cortazzo, Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical" (Zorro)
Tom Dougherty, Central Catholic, "In the Heights" (Benny)
William Huffmyer, North Hills, "Me and My Girl" (Bill Snibson)
Devin Moore, Chartiers Valley, "Sweeney Todd" (Sweeney Todd)
Jake Pedersen, Pine-Richland, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (Joseph)
Adam Walker, Riverview, "Guys & Dolls" (Sky Masterson)
BEST ACTRESS
Chelsea Calfo, Pittsburgh CAPA, "Anything Goes" (Reno Sweeney)
Theresa Hall, Elizabeth Forward, "Anything Goes" (Reno Sweeney)
Chloe Rae Kehm, West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (Millie)
Meredith Kocur, Riverview, "Guys & Dolls" (Sarah Brown)
Paige Nelson, Pine-Richland, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator)
Morgan Traud, Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical" (Luisa Pulido”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Carr, Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot" (Sir Dennis Galahad)
Samuel Kagle, Chartiers Valley, "Sweeney Todd" (Beadle Bamford)
Zac McDowell, Avonworth, "Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, (Lefou)
Anders Ove, Avonworth, "Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, (Lumiere)
Ethan Reed, Pittsburgh Obama, "Sister Act" (Eddie Souther)
Sam Shadle, St. Joseph, "Hello, Dolly!" (Horace Vandergelder)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emma Sue Ewing, Pittsburgh CAPA, "Anything Goes" (Erma Latour)
Alayia Logan, Pittsburgh Obama, "Sister Act" (Sister Mary Lazarus)
Marissa Randall, Pittsburgh Obama, "Sister Act" (Sister Mary Patrick)
Christina Trocchio, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, "Footloose" (Rusty)
Jenna Wood, Chartiers Valley, "Sweeney Todd" (Beggar Woman)
Katherine Zemaitis, Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical" (Inez the Gypsy)
BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Budget Level I
Pittsburgh CAPA, "Anything Goes"
Pittsburgh Obama Obama Academy, "Sister Act"
Pittsburgh Perry, "You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown"
Budget Level II
Central Catholic, "In the Heights"
Elizabeth Forward, "Anything Goes"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
Budget Level III
West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
West Mifflin, "Anything Goes"
Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot"
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Budget Level I
Deer Lakes, "Little Shop of Horrors"
Pittsburgh Obama Obama Academy, "Sister Act"
St. Joseph, "Hello, Dolly!"
Budget Level II
Elizabeth Forward, "Anything Goes"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
Quaker Valley, "The Sound of Plaid"
Budget Level III
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot"
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Budget Level I
Deer Lakes, "Little Shop of Horrors"
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, "Footloose"
St. Joseph, "Hello, Dolly!"
Budget Level II
Central Catholic, "In the Heights"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
Keystone Oaks, "Footloose"
Budget Level III
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot"
BEST ENSEMBLE
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
Central Catholic, "In the Heights"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
Pittsburgh Obama, "Sister Act"
Quaker Valley, "The Sound of Plaid"
West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
ALL-STUDENT ORCHESTRA
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
North Hills, "Me and My Girl"
Pine-Richland, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
Pittsburgh Allderdice, "Pippin"
Pittsburgh CAPA, "Anything Goes"
CREW/TECHNICAL EXECUTION
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
Central Catholic, "In the Heights"
Elizabeth Forward, "Anything Goes"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot"
EXECUTION OF CHOREOGRAPHY
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
Central Catholic, "In the Heights"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
Pittsburgh Obama, "Sister Act"
West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot"
EXECUTION OF DIRECTION
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
Central Catholic, "In the Heights"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
Pittsburgh Obama, "Sister Act"
West Allegheny, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot"
EXECUTION OF MUSICAL DIRECTION
Baldwin, "Zorro: The Musical"
Central Catholic, "In the Heights"
Hampton, "Big Fish"
Pine-Richland, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
Pittsburgh CAPA, "Anything Goes"
Woodland Hills, "Monty Python’s Spamalot"
First Published: May 10, 2017, 2:12 p.m.
Updated: May 10, 2017, 2:12 p.m.
