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Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards announce 2015 musical nominations


Hershey Theatre announced musical nominations and honorable mention recognition for the 7th annual Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards. Modeled after the Tony Awards on Broadway, the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards recognize outstanding achievements by local high school students in musical and play productions. A total of 17 awards will be presented during the show on Sunday, May 17, at 7 p.m. The nominees for spring musicals are as follows:

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical

Alexia Greider as Grandma in The Addams Family – Susquenita High School

Matt Gooden as Cinderella's Prince/Wolf in Into the Woods – Palmyra Area High School

Mary Keefe as Alice Beineke in The Addams Family – Susquenita High School

Drew Patti as Rapunzel's Prince/Milky White in Into the Woods – Capital Area School for the Arts

Hunter Stuyvesant as Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast – Red Land High School

Honorable Mention – Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical

Emma Habermehl as Babette in Beauty and the Beast – Red Land High School

Patrick Starner as Moose in Crazy for You – Hershey High School

Tea Zumbo as Hattie in Kiss Me, Kate – Central Dauphin High School

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical

Sarah Carson as Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins – Bishop McDevitt High School

Meredith Hazen as Bloody Mary in South Pacific – Lower Dauphin High School

Kalina Jenkins as Sebastian in The Little Mermaid Jr. – Harrisburg Christian School

Melissa Kline as Lois Lane/Bianca in Kiss Me, Kate – Central Dauphin High School

Sarah Kula as Ursula in The Little Mermaid Jr. – Harrisburg Christian School

Taylor Perry as Georgia in Curtains – Camp Hill High School

Abby Swartz as Cinderella in Into the Woods – Palmyra Area High School

Honorable Mention – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical

Hailey Graham as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast – Red Land High School

Ellie Tiley as Mrs. Brice in Funny Girl – Boiling Springs High School

Paxton Zeis as Irene Roth in Crazy for You – Hershey High School

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical

Conor Kelley as Gangster 2 in Kiss Me, Kate – Central Dauphin High School

Jeff Kolakowski as Gangster 1 in Kiss Me, Kate – Central Dauphin High School

Jack Panyard as Marcellus Washburn in The Music Man – ENCORE! Home School Productions

Josh Peffley as Zubrick in The Brain From Planet X – Cedar Crest High School

Brian Soutner as Leaf Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee –Elizabethtown Area High School

Brock Viering as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast – Red Land High School

Tree Zuzzio as Christopher Belling in Curtains – Camp Hill High School

Honorable Mention – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical

Christopher Brian as Joe Cable in South Pacific – Lower Dauphin High School

Tyler Smith as George Banks in Mary Poppins – Bishop McDevitt High School

Evan Williams as Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me, Kate – Central Dauphin High School

Outstanding Student Orchestra

Camp Hill High School – Curtains

Cedar Crest High School – The Brain from Planet X

Elizabethtown Area High School – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Hershey High School – Crazy for You

Palmyra Area High School – Into the Woods

Outstanding Dance Number in a Musical

Annville-Cleona High School for "Waiter's Gallop" from Hello, Dolly!

Bishop McDevitt High School for "Step in Time" from Mary Poppins

Cedar Crest High School for "Brain Tap" from The Brain from Planet X

ENCORE! Home School Productions for "Shipoopi" from The Music Man

Red Land High School for "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast

Susquehanna Township High School for "Dance of the Robe" from Aida

Susquenita High School for "When You're an Addams" from The Addams Family

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical

Liz Baliira as Aida in Aida – Susquehanna Township High School

Moira Brennan as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins – Bishop McDevitt High School

Rachel Bitner as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific – Lower Dauphin High School

Kelley Hertzler as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl – Boiling Springs High School

Carly Lafferty as Belle in Beauty and the Beast – Red Land High School

Madison Youch as Baker's Wife in Into the Woods – Capital Area School for the Arts

Honorable Mention – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical

Meredith Batzler as Carmen in Curtains – Camp Hill High School

Tori Gaffey as Baker's Wife in Into the Woods – Palmyra Area High School

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical

Patrick Harner as Emile in South Pacific – Lower Dauphin High School

Alejandro Ramos as Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me, Kate – Central Dauphin High School

Vaughn Richardson as Fred Bunson in The Brain from Planet X – Cedar Crest High School

Kodiak Thompson as Bobby Child in Crazy for You – Hershey High School

Chris Uzokwe as Radames in Aida – Susquehanna Township High School

Honorable Mention – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical

Baird Erb as Harold Hill in The Music Man – ENCORE! Home School Productions

Daniel Hair as Bert in Mary Poppins – Bishop McDevitt High School

Outstanding Musical

Bishop McDevitt High School – Mary Poppins

Central Dauphin High School – Kiss Me, Kate

Hershey High School – Crazy for You

Red Land High School – Beauty and the Beast

Susquehanna Township High School - Aida

Honorable Mention – Outstanding Musical

Lower Dauphin High School – South Pacific

Evaluators judged nearly 150 individual roles to determine nominations for five of the eight musical categories. Nineteen schools were evaluated to determine nominations for the category of Outstanding Musical.

Students who met specific criteria in play and musical performances receive Honorable Mention recognition. Students who garnered Honorable Mention recognition will be highlighted in the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards playbill.

Public and private schools in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and Perry counties, in addition to high schools in the Elizabethtown area were eligible to participate in the seventh annual awards program.

During the awards show on Sunday, May 17, monologues and medleys will be performed by nominated lead actor and actresses. Additionally, each school nominated in the category of "Outstanding Musical" will perform a number from its production.

Tickets for the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards show are on sale at www.HersheyTheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at 717-534-3405. Tickets range in price from $10 to $30.

The Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards program is named after the Greek god who adorns the decorative ceiling in the Grand Lobby of Hershey Theatre. Apollo was the patron god of music, poetry and the arts – a fitting namesake for this tribute program.

The announcement of play and musical nominations is also available on the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards Facebook page.