By SHARON EBERSON
In a dazzling display of talent Saturday night, the big winners at the 2023 Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre were Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Hampton and the comeback story of the year, Elizabeth Forward. Devastated in February by a fire in the school’s auditorium, EF moved forward with the help of Kelly competitors – particularly Thomas Jefferson High – and other school and community support to win eight Kellys in Budget Level III.
Those included Best Musical and, for the third time, a Best Actor victory for Tyler Quinto-Brody. Along with Best Actress Kaitlyn Majewski of McKeesport, Brody’s next stop is another trip to the national competition, the Jimmy Awards in New York City.
The 2023 Gene Kelly Award Best Actress nominees, from left: Felicity Dicken of North Hills High, Ava Sandstrom of Pittsburgh Allderdice, Rachael Parsons of Thomas Jefferson (center), winner Kaitlyn Majewski of McKeesport, Brylee Hendry of Plum and Isabella Gricar of Westinghouse Arts Academy.
(Images: Sharon Eberson)
Gene Kelly’s widow, the always elegant Patricia Ward Kelly (below), returned to the awards ceremony at the Benedum Center and presented the best-of-the-best musical prize in four budget categories to Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Elizabeth Forward and Hampton.
Pittsburgh CLO’s Kellys, named for the Pittsburgh native who defined onscreen musical excellence, represents participating schools in Allegheny County – 32 this year – and is the nation’s longest-running regional high school competition.
More than $50,000 in scholarships was awarded to college-bound seniors by Point Park (Phoenix Thomas and Nick D’Angelo), Robert Morris (Hayden Krupp) and Seton Hill universities (TJ Betzner), with thousands more presented by the Gene Kelly Cash Scholarships (Rachel Parsons, Lucia Lazzara-Goodrich, Kaitlyn Majewski and Miralhi Taylor-Martin) and CLO Ambassadors (Elaine Gombos and Leah McConnell).
The Christopher Rawson Kelly Critics Award, a joint program of Rawson, Pittsburgh CLO and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was awarded for the second consecutive year to Kevin Hutchinson of Baldwin.
The view from backstage: Elizabeth Forward High School is feted while performing a scene from The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the 2023 Gene Kelly Awards.
THE 2023 GENE KELLY AWARD WINNERS & NOMINEES
(* Winners in bold)
BEST MUSICAL
Budget Level I
McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,
Big Fish
Budget Level II
Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Budget Level III
Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Riverview, Young Frankenstein
Budget Level IV
Hampton, Something Rotten!
Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
BEST ACTOR
Jack Cipriani (Nick Bottom, Something Rotten!), Moon Area
Amerik Cirota (Joseph, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Westinghouse Arts Academy
Tyler Guinto-Brody (Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Elizabeth Forward
Nathan Marks (Dom Claude Frollo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Elizabeth Forward
Ben Stolarz (Jean Valjean, Les Misérables), Pittsburgh Allderdice
Kai Suyama (Nick Bottom, Something Rotten!) Hampton
BEST ACTRESS
Felicity Dicken (Judy Bernly, 9 to 5 the Musical), North Hills
Isabella Gricar (Narrator, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Westinghouse Arts Academy
Brylee Hendry (Hodel, Fiddler on the Roof), Plum
Kaitlyn Majewski (Natalie Heller/Ed, All Shook Up) McKeesport Area
Rachael Parsons (Hope Harcourt, Anything Goes), Thomas Jefferson \
Ava Sandstrom (Eponine, Les Misérables), Pittsburgh Allderdice
BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Budget Level I
McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
Serra Catholic, Little Shop of Horrors (Broadway Version)
Budget Level II
Carlynton, Disney’s The Little Mermaid
Quaker Valley, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Budget Level III
Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Moon Area, Something Rotten!
Riverview, Young Frankenstein
Budget Level IV
Hampton, Something Rotten!
Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
Woodland Hills, Seussical
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Budget Level I
McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
Redeemer Lutheran, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Original)
Budget Level II
Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
Carlynton, Disney’s The Little Mermaid
Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Budget Level III
Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Moon Area, Something Rotten!
Riverview, Young Frankenstein
Hampton High’s Kai Suyama as Nick Bottom in Something Rotten!
Budget Level IV
Hampton, Something Rotten!
Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
Woodland Hills, Seussical
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Budget Level I
McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
Serra Catholic, Little Shop of Horrors (Broadway Version)
Budget Level II
Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
Chartiers Valley, 9 to 5 the Musical
Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Budget Level III
Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Riverview, Young Frankenstein
Shady Side Academy, Chicago: Teen Edition
Budget Level IV
Hampton, Something Rotten!
Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
Woodland Hills, Seussical
BEST VOCAL ENSEMBLE
Budget Level I
McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
Serra Catholic, Little Shop of Horrors (Broadway Version)
Budget Level II
Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
Pittsburgh CAPA, The Prom
Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Budget Level III
Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Moon Area, Something Rotten!
Riverview, Young Frankenstein
Budget Level IV
Hampton, Something Rotten!
Plum, Fiddler on the Roof
Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
BEST DANCE ENSEMBLE
Budget Level I
McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School, Big Fish
Sewickley Academy, Big Fish School Edition
Budget Level II
Pittsburgh CAPA, The Prom
Quaker Valley, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
Westinghouse Arts Academy Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Budget Level III
Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Moon Area, Something Rotten!
Riverview, Young Frankenstein
Budget Level IV
Hampton, Something Rotten!
Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
Woodland Hills, Seussical
BEEST CREW/TECHNICAL EXECUTION
Budget Level I
McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
Sewickley Academy, Big Fish School Edition
Budget Level II
Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
Bishop Canevin, Freaky Friday
Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Budget Level III
Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Moon Area, Something Rotten!
Shady Side Academy, Chicago: Teen Edition
Budget Level IV
Hampton, Something Rotten!
Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
Woodland Hills, Seussical
BEST STUDENT ORCHESTRA
Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
Moon Area, Something Rotten!
Pittsburgh CAPA, The Prom
Shady Side Academy, Chicago: Teen Edition
Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
OUTSTANDING STUDENT ARTIST
Anna Boothby (Student Lighting Op/On-stage Role Replacement), Avonworth
Charlotte Kinslow (Understudy and Cast), Chartiers Valley
Linz Thomas (Technical Lighting Designer), Elizabeth Forward
David Poirier and Kulthoom Fatema (Dinani Documentarians), Hampton
Jack Cipriani (Advertisement Coordinator/Director), Moon Area
Alexa Custer (Assistant Music Director), Pittsburgh CAPA
The 2023 Gene Kelly Awards finale at the Benedum Center on May 27,
with music director Robert Neumeyer (left).
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Brooks Brady (Thomas Nostradamus, Something Rotten!), Hampton
Primo Brodt-Jenkins, (Harry Bright, Mamma Mia!), Gateway
Avi Chetlin (Trent Oliver, The Prom), Pittsburgh CAPA,
David Keller (Simeon, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Westinghouse Arts Academy
Hayden Krupp (Moonface Martin, Anything Goes),Thomas Jefferson
Eli Wynn (Thernardier, Les Misérables), Pittsburgh Allderdice
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ashley Caldwell (Erma, Anything Goes), Thomas Jefferson
Annelise Hanson (Mayzie Labird, Seussical), Woodland Hills
Kenzie Heidenreich (Jan, Grease), West Allegheny
Lila Kelley (Zinnia Wormwood, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical), Baldwin
Lucia Palmer (Portia, Something Rotten!), Moon Area
Natalie Whitfield (Rosie, Mamma Mia!), Gateway
KELLY CRITIC AWARD
Kevin Hutchinson, Baldwin
Sharon Eberson is a longtime Kelly Awards judge and also was a presenter this year.
Categories: Archived Features, Arts Education, Company, Our Posts
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