Jake Pedersen of Pine-Richland and Chloe Rae Kehm of West Allegheny were named best actor and actress, while Hampton’s production of “Big Fish” and Baldwin’s “Zorro the Musical” were among the big overall winners Saturday at the Pittsburgh CLO’s 27th annual Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater.
The best actor and actress will represent the Kellys at the eighth annual National High School Musical Theater Awards, founded by Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances LLC, in New York City on June 26.
Hampton earned six awards, including best musical in Budget Level II, while Baldwin’s three awards included best musical in Level III. Pittsburgh Obama Academy’s “Sister Act” won in Level I.
Amid the musical numbers by all nominated schools and specially crafted performances by the best actor and actress nominees, $71,000 in scholarships was awarded.
Ms. Kehm received a $5,000-per-year scholarship for four years to attend Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts for Musical Theater, and Pittsburgh CLO awarded $1,500 to Allison Burns, Kaylie Wallace and Ms. Kehm, and $5,000 to Mr. Pedersen. The Pittsburgh CLO Ambassadors awarded $5,000 in scholarships to Melissa Bronder and William Huffmyer, college-bound students pursuing a major outside of the arts, and the Pittsburgh CLO Guild awarded $36,000 in scholarships to nine students pursuing theater arts degrees.
The winners received their trophies at the Benedum Center in a musical celebration patterned after Broadway’s Tony Awards. Van Kaplan, in his 20th year of leading Pittsburgh CLO, was once again the host, and Kiesha Lalama, a choreographer and Point Park University Conservatory of Dance Company faculty member, is in her 10th year of directing and choreographing the night of music, honors and school spirit.
Nominees and winners were chosen by a panel of 32 judges who attended the spring musicals presented by the following 27 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, 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.
Winners of for the 2017 Pittsburgh CLO Gene Kelly Awards:
BEST MUSICAL
Budget Level I: Pittsburgh Obama, “Sister Act”
Budget Level II: Hampton, “Big Fish”
Budget Level III: Baldwin, “Zorro: The Musical”
BEST ACTOR: Jake Pedersen, Pine-Richland, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (Joseph)
BEST ACTRESS: Chloe Rae Kehm, West Allegheny, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” (Millie)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Robert Carr, Woodland Hills, “Monty Python’s Spamalot” (Sir Dennis Galahad)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Emma Sue Ewing, Pittsburgh CAPA, “Anything Goes” (Erma Latour)
BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Budget Level I: Pittsburgh Perry, “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown”
Budget Level II: Hampton, “Big Fish”
Budget Level III: Woodland Hills, “Monty Python’s Spamalot”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Budget Level I: St. Joseph, “Hello, Dolly!”
Budget Level II: Hampton, “Big Fish”
Budget Level III: West Allegheny, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Budget Level I: Deer Lakes, “Little Shop of Horrors”
Budget Level II: Hampton, “Big Fish”
Budget Level III: Woodland Hills, “Monty Python’s Spamalot”
BEST ENSEMBLE: Central Catholic, “In the Heights”
ALL-STUDENT ORCHESTRA: Hampton, “Big Fish”
CREW/TECHNICAL EXECUTION: Hampton, “Big Fish”
EXECUTION OF CHOREOGRAPHY: West Allegheny, “Thoroughly Modern Millie”
EXECUTION OF DIRECTION: Baldwin, “Zorro: The Musical”
EXECUTION OF MUSICAL DIRECTION: Baldwin, “Zorro: The Musical”
CHARLES GRAY AWARD: Pittsburgh Urban Christian School
ALICE T. CARTER SPECIAL JUDGES AWARD: Thomas Houghton III, trumpeter, Pittsburgh CAPA
CHRISTOPHER RAWSON KELLY CRITICS AWARD: Molly Henschke, a junior from Quaker Valley. Runner-up: Dana Grover, a senior from Riverview.
First Published: May 28, 2017, 3:25 a.m.
Updated: May 28, 2017, 3:26 a.m.
