Every year, the Pittsburgh CLO presents the Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater. Another spring musicals season has passed, and nominations for the awards were announced on Wednesday.
Named for legendary performer and Pittsburgh native Gene Kelly, the judges will give out more than 34 awards, plus several cash and university scholarships. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on May 23 at the Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh.
“The Gene Kelly Awards are a life-changing educational experience for students,” said Jim Scriven, director of education at Pittsburgh CLO, in a release. “They offer the opportunity to perform on a world-class stage, celebrate the excellence of peers, and connect to a national network of emerging artists. It’s so much more than awards — it’s about access, inspiration and pure musical theater joy.”
This year, 37 schools participated in the Gene Kelly Awards. The honors span the full scope of a production, from acting to technical production aspects to student orchestras, many divided into four budget levels.
James Benedek, musical director at Elizabeth Forward High School in Elizabeth, is proud of their eight awards nominations. In addition to being nominated for Outstanding Musical, the school gained nods in a number of technical categories, as well as for Outstanding Supporting Actress for Emerson Henry and Outstanding Student Artist for Spencer Callaghan.
The school performed musical “The Prince of Egypt,” and Benedek said they had upwards of 70 students in the cast and crew.
“I’m very happy for the students,” he said. “This musical was a lot of work for them. To see all that hard work pay off and to get the recognition … I always tell them that the recognition is just a nice piece of it.”
Benedek is in his fifth year directing the musical at Elizabeth Forward High School. He himself was a student at the school who participated in the school musicals.
“We were really never of the caliber at the time to do that stuff,” he laughed.
“I am humbled and elated for the entire production team, cast and crew regarding these nominations,” said Mandi Porter, assistant to the principal at Saint Joseph High School in Natrona Heights and director of their SJHS Productions. “We were all so proud of the show, and getting these nominations just helps to validate all of our hard work and dedication to the show.”
Saint Joseph performed “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” this spring. The small Catholic high school earned six nominations, including one for Outstanding Musical.
Porter said that they began rehearsals in January, but because they needed to rent their performance space, the technical crew had only days to work their magic.
“We do a lot of prep work at our home base before we move into the rented space, but there is no simulation for being on the actual stage and working on the set pieces and with the light board. So when we get a nod for technical work, it is truly amazing,” she said.
She’s also thankful for her production team, who she said were all focused on achieving the same goal: for the show to be a good experience for the people involved and the people coming to see it.
The cast of “Joseph” was, she said, a true ensemble with no egos that was dedicated to the show.
“A show like this does not happen by accident, and their hours of work and dedication have led to these nominations. They deserve the accolades,” Porter said.
Director Sean Gatta has to pull double duty when it comes to his shows — he directs joint productions between Oakland Catholic High School and Central Catholic High School, both in Oakland.
“That process is definitely unique,” he said. “I spend a lot more time with the boys because I spend all of the school day with them. … In spite of existing in two different buildings, I really do feel like this group is so tight-knit,” he said.
The two schools’ joint production of “The Addams Family Musical” netted nine nominations from the Kellys, including Outstanding Musical, a slew of technical nominations and recognition for Vincent Jackson in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category and Theodor Mertz in the Outstanding Actor category.
Gatta moved to Pittsburgh last year, so he wasn’t aware of the Gene Kelly Awards, but the students were enthusiastic about participating.
“It’s really exciting. … I really do try and stress with them, now that we are a regular participant in the Gene Kelly Awards every year, that this is not our barometer of success, that I want you guys to be proud of the work that we’re doing here. … But it is certainly encouraging to have as many as we’ve gotten this season.”
He said he’s especially thrilled for the two actors who were nominated.
“They really grew into these characters,” he said.
Part of the ceremony on May 23 will be a number of performances by the nominated students and casts, including numbers from Outstanding Musical nominees and medleys performed by acting nominees.
“I’m just excited to see what happens and really excited for them to have the opportunity to perform on the Benedum stage,” Gatta said. “It’s such a wonderful celebration of high school theater and all the amazing thing that young people are capable of.”
“It’s a beautiful thing to see the kids perform on that stage,” Benedek agreed.
To learn more about the Gene Kelly Awards, including a full list of nominations, visit pittsburghclo.org.