By SHARON EBERSON
The 2025 Henry Mancini Musical Theatre Awards crowned Beaver Falls High School freshman Kash Stevenson as Best Actor, and senior Bella McKivigan of Freeport High won Best Actress for the second consecutive year, in the ceremony at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland on May 18, 2025
Joe Serafini, a Bethel Park High grad known for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, on Disney+, was the keynote speaker, on a night when Beaver Falls, Hopewell and Mars Area High Schools were awarded Best Musical in their respective budget categories.
For Bella, who has been accepted into the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, the win earned her a second trip to the annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards. Through a partnership with Pittsburgh CLO and the Jimmys, Bella and Kash will represent the Mancinis at the 2025 ceremony on June 23, at the Minskoff Theatre, home of Broadway’s The Lion King.
The awards, named for famed film composer and West Aliquippa native Henry Mancini, this year attracted 17 participating high schools in Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties.
Pittsburgh CLO’s Gene Kelly Awards, honoring high school musical theater excellence in Allegheny County, is Saturday, May 24, 2025, at the Benedum Center.
(Image courtesy of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center)
2025 HENRY MANCINI MUSICAL THEATRE AWARD WINNERS
BEST MUSICAL
Budget 1: Beaver Falls, Tuck Everlasting
Budget 2: Hopewell, Anastasia
Budget 3: Mars Area, Peter Pan
BEST ENSEMBLE
Budget 1: Freeport, Les Miserables
Budget 2: Slippery Rock, Shrek the Musical
Budget 3: Knoch, Catch Me If You Can
BEST ACTRESS: Bella McKivigan, Freeport High School
BEST ACTOR: Kash Stevenson, Beaver Falls High School
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Faith Aguirre, Ambridge High School
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jacob Franks, Freeport High School
BEST STUDENT ORCHESTRA: Knoch, Catch Me If You Can
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY EXECUTION
Budget 1: Beaver Falls, Tuck Everlasting
Budget 2: Slippery Rock, Shrek the Musical
Budget 3: Mars Area, Peter Pan
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Budget 1: Beaver Falls, Tuck Everlasting
Budget 2: Hopewell, Anastasia
Budget 3: New Castle, Something Rotten!
BEST CREW/TECHNICAL EXECUTION
Budget 1: North Catholic, The Addams Family
Budget 2: Hopewell, Anastasia
Budget 3: Mars Area, Peter Pan
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Budget 1: Western Beaver, Into the Woods
Budget 2: Riverside, Mame
Budget 3: Mars Area, Peter Pan
BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Budget 1: Western Beaver, Into the Woods
Budget 2: Riverside, Mame
Budget 3: Knoch, Catch Me If You Can
SPECIAL JUDGE AWARD: Riverside High School
OUTSTANDING STUDENT ARTIST: Kelsey Miller, Knoch High School
Source: Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center
Categories: Arts Education, National and Local Awards, Our Posts
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