Coming soon: A full photo gallery including all 2014-15 Bobby G Awards nominees.

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Finalists for the third annual Bobby G Awards were released this afternoon. The awards program, which culminates in a Tony Awards-style ceremony on May 28 at the Buell Theatre, celebrates outstanding achievement in high-school musical theatre in Colorado. This year the program was expanded from the Denver metro area to include high schools statewide.

With today’s announcement, tickets are now officially on sale for the 2014-15 Bobby G Awards ceremony, which will gather students from 30 high schools all across Colorado to perform on the Buell Theatre stage and mutually support one another’s work. Click here to purchase tickets.

Mountain View High School in Loveland leads all schools with 12 nominations, including outstanding musical, for its staging of Disney’s Aida. Next are Durango High School’s Les Misérables with 10; Cherry Creek High School’s Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella with nine; and Boulder Fairview High School’s Anything Goes and Westminster High School’s Rent, with eight each.

(Pictured at right: Taylor Lang in Mountain View High School’s ‘Aida.’ Photo by Rachel Horstmeyer.)

In all, 17 of the 30 participating public and private high schools received at least one nomination. André Rodriguez of Westminster High School (Rent) was nominated for Outstanding Direction for the third straight year. Rodriguez is the only theatre artist to have been nominated all three years of the awards’ existence.

The Bobby G Awards, overseen and hosted by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, are Colorado’s regional representative within the larger National High School Musical Theatre Awards, otherwise known as “The Jimmy Awards.” The winners of Colorado’s outstanding actor and actress awards not only will invited to attend the Jimmy Awards on June 29 at the Minskoff Theatre in New York, but to participate in a week-long series of intensive classes and workshops with Broadway actors, directors and designers.

Adjudicators, made up of professional working theatre artists in the Denver area, attended the participating schools’ musical theatre productions. Using the standards set by The Bobby G Awards training and criteria, as well as their own professional experience, these adjudicators completed extensive evaluation forms, offering schools detailed feedback on various elements of their musical productions. Participating schools receive each adjudicator’s comments, praise and constructive criticism as a way of recognizing accomplishments and motivating future growth.

All five schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Production will be invited to perform at the May 28 Bobby G Awards ceremony. The finalists are Cherokee Trail High School’s The Addams Family, Durango’s Les Misérables, Fairview’s Anything Goes, Mountain View’s Aida and Westminster’s Rent.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS TO THE BOBBY G AWARDS CEREMONY

Our Bobby G Awards YouTube channel, with highlights from last year’s ceremony.

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The evening will include special guests and performances. Award categories include all areas of performance, design, direction, choreography, technical production and overall excellence. Three “special achievement” winners have been announced in advance: Abigail Kieffer of Sound Cherokee Trail for sound design; Shailyn Clay of Mountain View for stage management, and Gabriella Bailey of Westminster for leadership.

The Bobby G Awards are named after late theatre producer Robert Garner, who made Denver not only a preferred stop for any Broadway tour, but one of the most desired locations in the nation for musicals to open their tours. His successor was Randy Weeks, who died last year. The Randy Weeks Memorial Scholarship for The Bobby G Awards supports the advancement of musical theatre for Colorado high-school students. Contributors to the tax-deductible fund are invited to The Bobby G Awards ceremony.

From 1979 through 2014, Robert Garner and Randy Weeks have entertained Denver audiences with more than 475 Broadway hits, nine national touring premieres such as The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, the pre-Broadway engagement of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and Pippin. The tradition continues next season with the Denver launch of If/Then

Here are just some of our photos from the 2013-14 Bobby G Awards ceremony at the Buell Theatre. To see more, click here.

THE 2014-14 BOBBY G AWARD NOMINATIONS

Outstanding  Achievement in Hair and Make-up Design
With show title, high school and names of nominees
The Addams Family, Cherokee Trail, McKenzie Boyd, McKenzie Campbell and Esther Ekberg
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cherry Creek, Miranda Cochran
Hello, Dolly!, Lakewood, Timothy Campbell and Erin Cole
Aida, Mountain View, Dakota Parker, Karla Quinones, Raquel Reynolds and Hannah Tester
Beauty and the Beast, Valor Christian High School, Elissa Haney, Rachel Jeffries, Haley Nicas and Trisha Rouleau

Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design
Show Title, High School, Nominees
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cherry Creek, Jim Miller and Weldon Steinke
Les Misérables, Durango, Diane Hoffman, Madison Norcross and Isabel Whitehead
Shrek The Musical, Front Range Christian School, Mariah Hart and Jenn Horrom
Aida, Mountain View, Jen Bleem, Jerri Hartshorn, Brynn Ledermann, Jen Likes and Cindy Sipes
Oklahoma!, Wheat Ridge, Teri Nydegger, Amy Sares, Denise Wood & Sarah Wood

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cherry Creek, Yasmin Farsad
Les Misérables, Durango, Blake Martin, Nico Schiavone and Walker White
Anything Goes, Fairview, Lanny Boyer and Caleb Werkmeister
Aida, Mountain View, Jenny Horstmeyer
Rent, Westminster, John Kirk and Travis Roth

Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cherry Creek, Jack Hagen, Yukki Hashimoto, Max Post and Joe Woodard
Les Misérables, Durango, Elise Christiansen, Sam Coleman, Mia Irwin and Walker White
Hello, Dolly!, Lakewood, Brandon Davis, Sarah DeLaet, Jace Smykil and Anna Tiberi
Aida, Mountain View, Phil Foreman, Tyler King, Even Meyers and Rebecca Reynolds
Rent, Westminster, Brandon PT Davis, Peter Lutz and Trenton Wright

Outstanding Achievement in Choreography
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s, Cinderella, Cherry Creek, Ronni Gallup
Anything Goes, Fairview, Karen Cassel
Thoroughly Modern Millie, Grandview, Piper Arpen
Aida, Mountain View, Tammy Johnson, Owen Whitman and Lauren Valdez
Rent, Westminster, Rachel Ilk, Starr Palmer and Lea Schoengarth

Outstanding Achievement in Musical Direction
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cherry Creek, Adam Cave and Sara Wynes
Hairspray, Denver School of the Arts, Brian Stinar
Les Misérables, Durango, Tom Kyser, Katherine Reed and Ivy Walker
Aida, Mountain View, Logan DeBord, Phil Foreman, Alana Reed and Peter Toews
Guys and Dolls, Rock Canyon, Marsha Anema and Julia Dale

Outstanding Performance by a Chorus
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cherry Creek
Les Misérables, Durango
Anything Goes, Fairview
Aida, Mountain View
Rent, Westminster

Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra
Puck’s Potion, Chaparral
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cherry Creek
Hairspray, Denver School of the Arts
Les Misérables, Durango
Anything Goes, Fairview

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
The Addams Family, Cherokee Trail, Josette Axne, Alice Beineke
The Addams Family, Cherokee Trail, Tessa Robinson, Wednesday Addams
Hairspray, Denver School of the Arts, Sarah Doerner, Velma Von Tussle
Aida, Legacy, Carly Lyman, Nehebka
Aida, Mountain View, Lauren Valdez, Nehebka

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Puck’s Potion, Chaparral, Jack Griffen, Nick
The Addams Family, Cherokee Trail, Caden Montgomery, Lucas Beineke
Beauty and the Beast, Valor Christian, Mason Askamit, Gaston
Rent, Westminster, Jairo Guerrero, Angel Dumont
Oklahoma!, Wheat Ridge High School, Jose Sierra, Ali Hakem

Rising Star
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cherry Creek, Luccio Dellepiane, Herald
Bye, Bye Birdie, Discovery Canyon Campus, Lili Yocum, Mae Peterson
Beauty and the Beast, Green Mountain, Emelia Kamadulski, Chip
Beauty and the Beast, Valor Christian, Elleon Dobias, Madame de la Grande Bouche Beauty and the Beast, Valor Christian, Xander Doege, Chip

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Les Misérables, Durango, Emma Buchanan, Eponine
Anything Goes, Fairview, Alei Russo, Reno Sweeney
Aida, Mountain View, Taylor Lang, Aida
Aida, Mountain View, Raegan DeBord, Amneris
Rent, Westminster, Lea Schoengarth, Mimi Marquez

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Puck’s Potion, Chaparral, Ty Eatherton, Puck
Les Misérables, Durango, Evatt Salinger, Jean Valjean
Anything Goes, Fairview, Charlie Kolbrener, Moonface Martin
Guys and Dolls, Rock Canyon, Sam Hulsizer, Nathan Detroit
Beauty and the Beast, Valor Christian, Dylan Ruder, Beast

Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Les Misérables, Durango, Landon Newton and Kristin Winchester
Anything Goes, Fairview, Michael Bizzaro and Janice Vlachos
Aida, Mountain View, Phil Foreman and Karla Quinones
Guys and Dolls, Rock Canyon, Cindy Baker
Rent, Westminster, Andre` Rodriguez

Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical
The Addams Family, Cherokee Trail
Les Misérables, Durango
Anything Goes, Fairview
Aida, Mountain View
Rent, Westminster

Special Achievement Award Winners
Achievement in Sound Design
The Addams Family, Cherokee Trail, Abigail Kieffer

Achievement in  Stage Management
Aida, Mountain View, Shailyn Clay

Achievement in Leadership
Rent, Westminster, Gabriella Bailey

Connections to the local theatre community
The 2015 nominees point out just how many local theatre professionals also offer their time and expertise to local high schools. Among the names members of the local theatre community will recognize:

Jim Miller: The Bobby G nominated oustanding director of Cherry Creek High School’s Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella was nominated for Outstanding Costume Design by both the Denver Post Ovation and Colorado Theatre Guild Henry awards for Town Hall’s Guys & Dolls.

Ronni Gallup: The former Chief Operating Officer of Starkey Theatrix starred as Lola in Town Hall’s Damn Yankees. She is nominated for outstanding choreography for a second straight year, this time for Cherry Creek High School’s Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

Piper Arpan: Currently appearing in the Arvada Center’s A Man of No Importance. She’s nominated for choreographing Thoroughly Modern Millie at Grandview High School.

Lanny Boyer: The University of Northern Colorado grad appeared in the Boulder’s Dinner Theatre production of The Music Man. He is co-nominated for lighting Anything Goes at Fairview High School.

Timothy Campbell: Nominated for hair and makeup for Lakewood High School’s Hello, Dolly!, he appeared in Equinox Theatre’s Bat Boy The Musical.