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Musical theater students recognized in prestigious Straz Center awards program
May 9, 2022
Pinellas County Schools won 87 awards in the Straz Center Broadway Star of the Future Awards. Nearly 160 Pinellas students were nominated for the awards.
Our district made an impressive showing in this year’s awards, more than doubling the number of wins earned last year and tripling the number of nominations.
The Broadway Star of the Future Awards celebrate outstanding student achievement in high school musical theater. The regional awards program is affiliated with the National High School Musical Theatre Awards or the Jimmy Awards®, named in honor of James M. Nederlander, a legendary Broadway theater owner and producer.
Tampa Bay area theater professionals, college faculty and industry experts serve as reviewers for productions from participating high schools.
Two Gibbs High School students are finalists for the Top 10 Best Lead Performer category. If either student wins in Tampa at the end of the month, they will go progress to the Jimmy Awards in New York City and compete with 80 students from throughout the nation.
2022 Broadway Star of the Future Winners from PCS:
Best Performer Finalist - “Top 10”
- Hadyn Kelley – Fun Home – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Bruce Bechdel
- Sarah Rowell - Fun Home - PCCA at Gibbs High School - Helen Bechdel
Outstanding Musical
- Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School
Outstanding Performer in a Musical
- Chloe Baker – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Amy
- Lyric Ingram – The Addams Family – Dunedin High School – Alice Beineke
- Ellery Pollack – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Joanne
- Gracelyn Ranson – Head Over Heels – Countryside High School – Pamela
- Jake Tottle – 9 to 5 – East Lake High School – Mr. Hart
- Sequoia Turner – Godspell – East Lake High School – Judas
- Seth Wannemacher – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Bobby
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical
- Seaira Anderson – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Peter
- Asia Folsch – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School – April
- Alejandra Gonzalez - Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed - Largo High School - Stark Naked/Grand Pah
- Jacob Gorman – Cinderella – Osceola Fundamental High School - Jean-Michel
- Hadyn Kelley – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Paul
- Carli Kosloski – Godspell – East Lake High School – Lindsay
- Valentino Martone – The Little Mermaid – Palm Harbor University High School – Grimsby
- Madison Rafferty – Cinderella – Osceola Fundamental High School – Madame
- Autumn Rain – The Addams Family – Dunedin High School - Grandma Addams
- Austin Reed - She Loves Me - PCCA at Gibbs High School - Mr. Maraczek
- Sarah Rowell – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Susan
- Emilee Scott – The Little Mermaid – Palm Harbor University High School – Jetsam
- Sam Soltis – The Little Mermaid – Palm Harbor University High School – Flotsam
- Jade “JT” Thomas – Head Over Heels – Countryside High School – Ensemble
- Sarah Venable – Head Over Heels – Countryside High School – Gynecia
- Caitlin Wheeler - Fun Home - PCCA at Gibbs High School – Joan
Outstanding Performer in a Play
- Alex Breen – Almost, Maine – Palm Harbor University High School - Dave
- Maddy Diaz – Almost, Maine – Palm Harbor University High School – Rhonda
- Emily Karagozian – Puffs – Countryside High School – Megan Jones
- Carli Kosloski – Clue – East Lake High School - Mrs. Peacock
- Charlie Lane – Almost, Maine – Palm Harbor University High School – Phil
- Isaiah Lizano – Clue – East Lake High School - Wadsworth
- Caleb McGuire – Puffs – Countryside High School - Cedric/Mr. Voldy
- Za’Naisha McGuire – Brainstorm – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Vera
- Janell Nunez – Puffs – Countryside High School - The Narrator
- Kaden Potak – Brainstorm – PCCA at Gibbs High School - Blair
- Alexandrea Walton – Brainstorm – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Zoe
- Caitlin Wheeler – Brainstorm – PCCA at Gibbs High School – Daphne
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
- Caroline Carter - She Loves Me - PCCA at Gibbs High School
- Dustin Hinzman - Company - PCCA at Gibbs High School
- Dustin Hinzman - Fun Home - PCCA at Gibbs High School
- Gabe Saienni – Head Over Heels – Countryside High School
- Ashlie Timberlake – The Little Mermaid – Palm Harbor University High School
Outstanding Direction of a Play
- Ashlie Timberlake – Almost, Maine – Palm Harbor University High School
Outstanding Dancer
- Alexa Aldridge – 9 to 5 – East Lake High School
- Ary’ana Davis – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School
- Makena Oglesby – The Addams Family – Dunedin High School
- LaVaughn Robinson – The Addams Family – Dunedin High School
- Emilee Scott – The Little Mermaid – Palm Harbor University High School
- Sam Soltis – The Little Mermaid – Palm Harbor University High School
Outstanding Orchestra
- The Addams Family – Dunedin High School
Outstanding Scenic Design
- Dunedin High School – The Addams Family – Gabriel O’Reilly
- East Lake High School – Clue - Nikki Vonfiglio
- Osceola Fundamental High School – Cinderella – Lucy Allan
- Palm Harbor University High School – The Little Mermaid - Troy Reamsnyde
- PCCA at Gibbs High School – Brainstorm – Sofia Serverino-Leth
- PCCA at Gibbs High School – Company – Scott Cooper
- PCCA at Gibbs High School – Fun Home - Thaddeus Engle
- PCCA at Gibbs High School – She Loves Me - Eden Mateo
Outstanding Costume Design
- Countryside High School – Head Over Heels - Emily Karagozian
- East Lake High School – Clue – Arista Athanassie & Eva Wingfield
- East Lake High School – Godspell - Arista Athanassie & Miah Merenda
- Palm Harbor University High School – Almost, Maine – Tatiana DeLeon, Eva Keller & Valentino Martone
- PCCA at Gibbs High School – She Loves Me - Kendall Swartz
- PCCA at Gibbs High School – Company - Patricia Donnelly
Outstanding Hair/Makeup
- Palm Harbor University High School – The Little Mermaid – Allie Enriquez, Emma Maged, Zoe McCooey, Rain Weinstein
Outstanding Lighting Design
- East Lake High School – Godspell - Max McElroy
Outstanding Sound Design
- Palm Harbor University High School – Almost, Maine - Leslie Bassous, Mahalia Collingsworth, McKenna Doyle & Savannah Warga
Outstanding Prop Design
- East Lake High School – 9 to 5 – Katie Horton & Sarah Lofredo
- Palm Harbor University High School – The Little Mermaid – Avery Armanious, Summer Bauerle, Natalia Derylo, Allie Enriquez, Lillian Greco, Kayla Mattson
- PCCA at Gibbs High School – Brainstorm – Paola Gonzalez
Outstanding Stage Management
- Erika Bruzurall & Dori Dally – Almost, Maine – Palm Harbor University High School
- Willow Canfield – She Loves Me – PCCA at Gibbs High School
- Evelyn Ciceklic – Head Over Heels – Countryside High School
- Skye Csulik – Cinderella – Osceola Fundamental High School
- Avalynn Fuchs - The Lightning Thief – Clearwater High School
- Sarah Lofredo – Clue – East Lake High School
- Greene Reaume – Fun Home – PCCA at Gibbs High School
- Kendall Schwartz – Company – PCCA at Gibbs High School
Special Recognition
- Countryside High School – Outstanding Atmosphere – Puffs
- Dunedin High School - Collaborative Chemistry – The Addams Family
- Largo High School - Lainey - Collaborative Chemistry – Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed – Baker, Sarah Bird & Corinne Milot
- Northeast High School - Collaborative Chemistry – Shrek the Musical – Connor McMinn & Jupiter Smith
- Palm Harbor University High School – Technical Direction - The Little Mermaid - Erika Bruzual & Nick Silvestro
- Palm Harbor University High School – Publicity Design - The Little Mermaid – Christy Do, Nick Silvestro, Catalina Velasco
- PCCA at Gibbs High School - Creative Directorial Concept – Company
- PCCA at Gibbs High School – Outstanding Graphic Design – Company - Lauren Martin
All 2022 Broadway Star of the Future Nominees
See the full list. PCS winners are highlighted in yellow and PCS nominees are highlighted in pink.