Pittsburgh CLOÂ'S 2011 Gene Kelly Awards Winners Announced

A capacity crowd gathered at the Benedum Center as Pittsburgh CLO and the University of Pittsburgh honored Allegheny County's finest high school performers at the 21st Annual Pittsburgh CLO Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater on Saturday, May 28, 2011.

Named for legendary performer and Pittsburgh native Gene Kelly, this annual celebration emphasizes the importance of arts education and recognizes the time, energy and dedication that local high schools devote to their musical productions each spring.

Patterned after Broadway's Tony Awards®, the ceremony included live performances by the Best Musical nominees along with the Best Actor/Actress nominees. Each nominated school performed a five-minute selection from their respective shows. Special guest presenters included local television personalities and Gene Kelly's widow, Patricia Ward Kelly.

Pittsburgh CLO congratulates the 2011 Gene Kelly Awards winners, nominees and the following 29 participating Allegheny County high schools: Avonworth, Baldwin, Bishop Canevin, Central Catholic, Chartiers Valley, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Hampton Township, Keystone Oaks, McKeesport, North Catholic, North Hills, Northgate, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Pittsburgh CAPA, Pittsburgh Perry, Pittsburgh Schenley, Plum, Riverview, St. Joseph, Shaler, Springdale, Vincentian Academy, West Mifflin, Winchester Thurston and Woodland Hills.

The Charles Gray Award for Special Achievement in Arts Education was presented to Propel East School, in recognition of its enduring commitment to arts education by establishing diverse creative arts modules within their curriculum. Together, technology and literacy coaches at Propel East actively participate in developing arts education.

Again this year, several scholarships were presented to college-bound seniors at the ceremony. Zeva Barzell, representing Point Park University's Musical Theater Department, presented Kirsten Hoover from North Hills and Luke Halferty from Central Catholic each a four-year scholarship to attend Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts for musical theater.

Pittsburgh CLO awarded Gene Kelly Cash Scholarships. These cash awards totaling $10,000 were presented to five high school seniors who have applied and been accepted to a school for the performing or technical arts. This year's recipients are: Matt Augustyniak from North Hills, Ryan Baker from West Mifflin, Niles Brandon from Pine-Richland, Kirsten Hoover from North Hills, and Connor McRory from Chartiers Valley. These merit-based scholarships are made possible through the generous donations of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Donald Arnheim, Paul E. Block and Virginia Nicklas.

The Pittsburgh CLO Guild presented the Constance T. Rockwell scholarship, totaling $32,000, to eight high school seniors who are pursuing a further education in the performing arts. This year's recipients are: Amber Ardolino from Lincoln Park Performing Arts, Matthew Augustyniak from North Hills, Christian Beck from Freedom Area, Kara Cavanaugh from Seneca Valley, Kelly Ganley from Bethel Park, Llenelle Gibson from Charleroi, Kirsten Hoover from North Hills and Patrick McMahon from Pine-Richland. The Pittsburgh CLO Guild also presented the Dolores and Walter Bold scholarship to Hope Anthony from Montour and the Charity Randall scholarship to Nicholas Morgan from Norwin. The Guild presented a total of ten scholarships, amounting to $40,000.
The CLO Ambassadors awarded $3,000 in scholarships to two college-bound students who will be pursuing a major outside of the arts. The 2011 Ambassadors' Scholarship winners were Rachel Sonnet from Avonworth and Katie Withrow from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

The Recipients of the 2011 Gene Kelly Awards are:

Best Scenic Design
Budget Level I:
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Budget Level II:
Chartiers Valley
Budget Level III:
Woodland Hills

Best Costume Design
Budget Level I:
St. Joseph
Budget Level II:
Central Catholic
Budget Level III:
Woodland Hills

Best Lighting Design
Budget Level I:
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Budget Level II:
Chartiers Valley
Budget Level III:
Woodland Hills

Best All-Student Orchestra
Pine-Richland

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Augustyniak of North Hills for "Billy Early" in No, No, Nanette

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Stephanie Higgins of North Hills for "Lucille Early" in No, No, Nanette

Best Ensemble
North Hills

Best Crew/Technical Execution
Woodland Hills

Best Choreography
North Hills

Best Direction
Woodland Hills

Best Actor
Luke Halferty of Central Catholic for "Tevye" in Fiddler on the Roof

Best Actress
Kirsten Hoover of North Hills for "Nanette" in No, No, Nanette

The winners for Best Actor and Best Actress will be competing for the opportunity to represent Pittsburgh CLO's Gene Kelly Awards in the third-annual National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City on Monday, June 27. For more information on the National High School Musical Theater Awards, please visit www.nhsmta.com.

Best Musical
Budget Level I:
Pittsburgh Schenley for Seussical
Budget Level II:
Hampton for West Side Story
Budget Level III:
Woodland Hills for Phantom of the Opera

Now in its ninth year, The Kelly Critics program is a unique partnership between the Pittsburgh CLO and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Christopher Rawson, from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, presented the Kelly Critics Award to Meg Omecene from Hampton for excellence in writing theatrical critiques.

This year, a special Judges Award was presented to Andre Rand-Mathis and TaJaya Thompson for their roles as "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" in Pittsburgh Schenley's production of Seussical.

Pittsburgh CLO's Gene Kelly Awards are co-presented by the University of Pittsburgh with additional support provided by American Eagle Outfitters Foundation, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, PNC Bank, Virginia S. Nicklas and the CLO Ambassadors.

The Charles Gray Award is made possible by the Roy A. Hunt Foundation. Pittsburgh CLO would also like to thank The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for the use of the Benedum Center and Deloitte for acting as the official auditor for the Gene Kelly Awards.

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