College of Entertainment & the Arts partners with TPAC for high school musical theater awards - The 'Nashies'
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts is taking its Nashville High School Musical Awards “on the road” with a new partnership with the nonprofit Tennessee Performing Arts Center to recognize excellence in local high school musical theater.
The Nashville High School Musical Awards — known as “The Nashies” — offers Middle Tennessee high school students and theater teachers an opportunity to have their productions adjudicated throughout the 2016-17 school year. High schools that participate in the program will receive feedback on their production and will have an opportunity to participate in a daylong workshop in the spring followed by a Tony Awards-style ceremony recognizing outstanding performers and work. The workshops will take place on the Lipscomb campus and the awards ceremony will take place in TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall on May 13, 2017.
Through this new partnership, the Nashville High School Musical Awards, founded in 2014 by Mike Fernandez, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Entertainment and the Arts, will offer additional opportunities for budding actors.
“We founded the program to honor students doing innovative work to foster a spirit of creative musical theater in Nashville and to provide feedback to these high school students and teachers to help us learn from each other,” said Fernandez. “I am thrilled that the program has grown so much in such a short period of time with close to 20 area schools participating last year, and now that TPAC is partnering with us we hope to double that number in the next couple of years. I believe that fostering and encouraging the arts in our schools is key to a thriving city like Nashville, so the more that have the opportunity to participate, the better.”
Fernandez said through TPAC’s involvement, the top male and female performer announced at The Nashies will be sent to New York to participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Jimmy Awards in honor of legendary Broadway theater owner and producer James M. Nederlander. The 10-day program features the most talented high school actors from across the nation.
“Whether with young performers taking their first steps on stage in a recital or Broadway stars who studied here returning in a touring production, we delight in celebrating creative abilities honed right here in Music City,” said Kathleen O’Brien, TPAC president and chief executive officer. “So, we are thrilled to partner with Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment and the Arts on its Nashville High School Musical Theatre Awards. With our connections to New York and The Broadway League, we’re excited to help expand the impact of this important program and provide new opportunities for local winners to compete nationally. We can’t wait to see what these future stars of the stage will achieve.”
From November to March, evaluators including Lipscomb theatre faculty, a Lipscomb directing student, and local theater professionals will attend performances at the participating schools and write evaluations. These will be used to determine the awards given in the spring. Schools will have access to the data for future improvement, and the Lipscomb theatre department will offer a $2,500 scholarship to attend Lipscomb to two outstanding students at the awards reception, said Fernandez.
“Musical theatre is one of the greatest forms of artistic expression. Fostering students’ interest and ability at this level is important because they can learn how to use the art form not only to entertain, but also to uplift, challenge, and ultimately impact the world in a profound and positive way,” Fernandez said. “We want to help them turn a corner and understand that as storytellers they have great power to change culture with their talent and the stories they choose to tell.
The season-ending awards workshop will include seminars on various aspects of musical theatre led by Lipscomb theatre faculty and local theatre professionals. Past clinicians have included Chuck Wagner, a Middle Tennessee native and Broadway star of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Into the Woods,” and Melinda Doolittle, American Idol alumna.
Early Bird Registration for the Musical Theatre Awards is currently open. Registration for the MTAs is $210 until September 30, 2016, $250 until November 30, 2016, and $290 until January 30, 2017. This price includes three adjudicator visits to your production, provided feedback from adjudicators, workshops at Lipscomb on May 13 for you and your students, and seats at the awards ceremony at TPAC on May 13. To register, visit www.lipscomb.edu/theater/entering-the-high-school-musical-theatre-awards.
For inquiries and questions concerning the Nashville High School Musical Theatre Awards, and to make sure that your school is within the judging radius for Middle Tennessee, please contact the Lipscomb theatre department at nashvillemta [at] lipscomb.edu or 615.966.7111.