Hennepin Theatre Trust Announces Fall 2013 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program Honors

Two SpotLight Showcase Events Scheduled for June 8 & 9
Tickets On Sale February 14

MINNEAPOLISHennepin Theatre Trust announced the fall 2013 honorees recognizing theatre accomplishments by Minnesota schools and students participating in the 2013-14 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program. SpotLight is the Trusts flagship educational initiative which honors and supports Minnesota high school musical theatre programs and students. Minnesota native, Broadway star and two-time Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes is the new SpotLight spokesperson.

This year, a record 67 schools including 13 from greater Minnesota, are presenting musicals made possible by the collaboration of almost 5,400 students, which are annually seen by an estimated 130,000 audience members. This fall, 38 schools presented musicals and a group of evaluators assessed each schools production with written commentary. They then submitted nominations for categories including outstanding performance in leading, supporting and featured roles; outstanding performance by a chorus, dance ensemble and student orchestra; outstanding overall performance of a musical, and outstanding overall production of a musical. Shows are not compared or ranked against each other, so categories may have multiple honorees.

Fall honorees are from schools located in Apple Valley, Bemidji, Bloomington, Buffalo, Cambridge, Chanhassen, Chisago Lakes, Circle Pines, Edina, Fridley, Forest Lake, Glencoe, Hibbing, Lakeville, Maplewood, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Moorhead, Mound, New Brighton, North St. Paul, Roseville, Shakopee, St. Paul, South St. Paul, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, White Bear Lake, Watertown, Winona and Woodbury. The complete list of schools and honorees is available online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

SpotLight, sponsored by TCF Bank, provides world-class educational, performing and creative experiences that help students develop essential skills for success such as collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and self-expression. In the program, students work with local and national theatre educators and Broadway musical theatre professionals who offer training, critical feedback, on-site school workshops and master classes.

Wendy Souja, Theatre Director and North Campus Choir Director at White Bear Lake Area High School, praised SpotLight when she said, It sets a concrete bar for our students in a world of subjective art which taps into their desire to do better. SpotLight helps focus strengths and areas of improvement. It pushes students to reach their potential because of the positive and collaborative process.

Schools and participating students will be honored at SpotLights culminating events, the ninth annual SpotLight Showcase, held for the first time on two nights on Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9, both at 7 p.m., at the Orpheum Theatre. These in-demand celebrations recognize high school musical theatre accomplishments by featuring student performances and honoring participants. Last years event sold out and featured more than 1,200 Minnesota students performing on the Orpheum stage. Tickets for both nights of the SpotLight Showcase go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 14 and may be purchased in person (no service fees) at the State Theatre Box Office (805 Hennepin Ave.), the New Century Theatre Box Office (615 Hennepin Ave.), online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org, by calling 1.800.982.2787 or visiting a Ticketmaster Center.

Educators who want to participate in SpotLight for the 2014-15 school year should contact Whitney Rhodes, SpotLight Manager, at 612.455.9531 or whitney.rhodes@HennepinTheatreTrust.org. The application deadline will be in October 2014. SpotLight is made possible by private donations and corporate contributions. To support this program, get additional information about it and sponsorship opportunities at HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

School Participants in the 2013-14 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program

Andover High School: The Music Man

Bemidji High School: Disneys Beauty and the Beast

Benilde-St. Margarets, St. Louis Park: Spring musical to be announced at a later date

Blaine High School: Spring musical to be announced at a later date

The Blake School, Minneapolis: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Buffalo High School: The Phantom of the Opera

Cambridge-Isanti High School: Bye Bye Birdie!

Centennial High School, Circle Pines: Once Upon a Mattress

Central High School, St. Paul: Little Shop of Horrors

Chanhassen High School: Urinetown: The Musical

Chaska High School: The Wizard of Oz

Chisago Lakes High School: Seussical: The Musical

Columbia Heights High School: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Concordia Academy, Roseville: Spring musical to be announced at a later date

Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul: The Drowsy Chaperone and Oklahoma!

DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis: Grease

Eagan High School: All Shook Up

East Ridge High School, Woodbury: Elton John and Tim Rices Aida

Eastview High School, Apple Valley: Legally Blonde: The Musical

Edina High School: Fiddler on the Roof and Band Geeks

FAIR Downtown School: Spring musical to be announced at a later date

Fridley Senior High School: Little Shop of Horrors

Forest Lake Area High School: A Year with Frog and Toad

Glencoe-Silver Lake High School: Footloose

Hibbing High School: Fiddler on the Roof

Hill-Murray School, Maplewood: Little Shop of Horrors

Irondale High School, New Brighton: Shrek the Musical

Jefferson High School, Alexandria: Spring musical to be announced at a later date

Kennedy High School, Bloomington: Elton John and Tim Rices Aida

La Crescent High School: The Sound of Music

Lakeville North High School: The Music Man

Lakeville South High School: Spring musical to be announced at a later date

Main Street School of Performing Arts, Hopkins: The Drowsy Chaperone

Maple Grove Senior High School: Guys and Dolls

Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis: Seussical: The Musical

Minnetonka High School: Young Frankenstein and Evita

Moorhead High School: Jesus Christ Superstar

Mounds Park Academy, St. Paul: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Mound Westonka High School: Copacabana

New Life Academy, Woodbury: Fiddler on the Roof

North High School, North St. Paul: Guys and Dolls

Park High School, Cottage Grove: Legally Blonde: The Musical

Richfield High School: Sweeney Todd

Roseville Area High School: The Wizard of Oz

Rogers High School: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

St. Francis High School: Shrek the Musical

Saint Johns Prep School, St. Cloud: Grease

St. Louis Park High School: Once Upon a Mattress

St. Paul Academy and Summit School: The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Once on This Island

Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists: Fiddler on the Roof and Illyria

Shakopee High School: Anything Goes

Shattuck-St. Marys School, Fairbault: Little Shop of Horrors

Simley High School, Inver Grove Heights: Grease

South St. Paul Secondary School: Disneys Beauty and the Beast

Southwest High School, Minneapolis: Thoroughly Modern Millie

Spring Lake Park High School: Cabaret

Tartan Senior High School, Oakdale: Footloose and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Thomas Jefferson High School, Bloomington: Legally Blonde: The Musical

Totino-Grace High School, Fridley: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

VISTA Productions Theatre Department of Visitation School and Saint Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights: Gifts of the Magi and Shrek the Musical

Washburn High School, Minneapolis: Youre a Good Man Charlie Brown and Les Misérables

Watertown-Mayer High School: Seussical: The Musical

Wayzata High School: Kiss Me, Kate

White Bear Lake Area High School: Once Upon a Mattress

Winona Senior High School: Monty Pythons Spamalot

Woodbury High School: Guys and Dolls

Zimmerman High School: Disneys Beauty and the Beast

HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST, owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and New Century Theatres, is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to arts-inspired community cultural development. We achieve our mission by presenting a rich mix of live performances, creating inspiring arts education experiences and advancing a thriving Hennepin Avenue Cultural District in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Trusts activities include presenting Broadway touring productions and the related Broadway Confidential series, concerts, comedy, speakers and other variety entertainment plus educational initiatives including our SpotLight Musical Theatre and SpotLight Critical Review programs for high schools, Teen Ushers, the Access 10 Program and Family Day on Hennepin events.

The SpotLight Musical Theatre Program is made possible with support from TCF Bank. The SpotLight Showcase events are funded, in part, by the Minnesota State Arts Board through the arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.