Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts 2016 APPLAUSE AWARDS

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

2016 APPLAUSE AWARDS

Road to the Jimmy™ Awards!

Recipients include 22 high schools from six Florida counties

Ceremony set for June 5, 2016

The Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts announces the 2016 recipients of the Applause Awards, boasting a range of students and talent from 22 schools in six counties of Central Florida. The showcase, recognizing outstanding achievements of participating high schools’ musical theater productions and students, will take place in the Walt Disney Theater on June 5, 2016 at 6 p.m.  Tickets for the awards showcase are $21.75 and may be purchased by visiting the Dr. Phillips Center Box Office at 445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are also available by calling 844.513.2014 or online at drphillipscenter.org. Online and phone ticket purchases include handling fees.

The Applause Awards, a program put forth by the School of the Arts, supports participating high schools by providing high quality learning, performing and creative experiences for students. Schools register to have their musical theater productions reviewed by a qualified team of adjudicators who provide directors with valuable feedback. After a spring review period, a showcase modeled after the Tony® awards takes place each June, featuring performances throughout the ceremony. Winning performers from the “Outstanding Lead Performer,” “Outstanding Supporting Performer,” “Outstanding Dance Performer” and “Honorable Mention in Performance” categories are invited to perform. High Schools winning in the “Outstanding Musical” category are also invited to perform numbers from their respective shows. The lineup of those high schools set to perform includes Freedom High School’s Bring it On! The Musical, Harrison School for the Arts’s Crazy for You, Lake Highland Preparatory School’s Guys and Dolls, Lake Nona High School’s Hairspray – Cast B, Liberty High School’s Next to Normal and Trinity Preparatory School’s The Last Five Years. Additionally, the evening boasts two performances from local middle schools celebrating education at levels prior to high school: Indian Trail Middle School’s Once Upon a Mattress and Millennium Middle School’s Annie, Jr.

The event demonstrates the enthusiasm, dedication and talent of high school musical theater programs and encourages participating schools to grow and continue to improve their programs.

New to the program this year: One male lead and one female lead will be selected from the Orlando showcase to move forward in competing in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA), also known as the Jimmy™ Awards. Named for James M. Nederlander, the legendary Broadway theatre owner and producer, awards for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor are awarded at the New York City ceremony. The eighth annual Jimmy Awards will take place on June 27, 2016.