The Bobby G Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in Colorado high-school musical theatre. The fifth annual awards and performance take place Thursday, May 25, at the Buell Theatre. (RESERVE YOUR SEAT HERE.)

Today we introduce you to the five students who are finalists for Outstanding Lead Actress. The winner will advance to represent Colorado at the national Jimmy Awards in New York City.

ELLEON DOBIAS

Catherine in Pippin
Valor Christian High School
Class of 2017

• College plans: I will be attending Roosevelt University in Chicago
• First role: My theatre debut was May 16, 2013, as Mrs. Potts in a required 8th grade production of Beauty and the Beast, My teapot spout arm is still sore . . . 
• Why do you perform? One of my mentors once told me that the aim of the art of theatre is not to represent the outward appearances of things, but rather their inward significances. This phrase has come to mean a great deal to me because, as I continue to play various characters, I am reminded that performance has the power to give light to what may have once gone unseen, unaddressed or unappreciated.
• Ideal scene partner: This is a total toss-up between Phyllis Diller and Carol Burnett. Phyllis Diller absolutely revolutionized comedy for women, and her witty creativity and masterful delivery have been an inspiration to me. Carol Burnett, on the other hand, has such a hilariously gawky, self-deprecating yet completely magnetic presence about her.
• Favorite moment from your show: One of my favorite things about this role was all of the quirky, ad-libbed comments and improvised character exchanges between Catherine and Pippin (played by Gable Kinsman). From playing guitars for our duet to weeping in silent strength in the final scene, Gable’s talent and encouragement pushed me as an actress in both emotional vulnerability and light-hearted humor, and I am incredibly grateful for being able to play off of our friendship on stage.
• How does it feel to be nominated? I have been both humbled and amazed by the talent I’ve seen at the Bobby G Awards over these last four years, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it. My fellow nominees have been delightful to say the least, and it is truly such an honor to work alongside them.
• What has this experience taught you about the value of arts education and extracurricular activities at your school? Arts education has legitimately changed my life. It has sparked in me a desire to influence positive social and cultural change with empathy and optimism, and I look back on my four years at Valor with nothing but gratitude and love for my theatre family and teacher mentors. The Bobby G Awards is not a competition but rather a celebration of the role that performance art has played in the lives of all of these students. We are all from different schools and different personal backgrounds, but we join together in the joy that comes from creating something wonderful.

CHANTAL KING 

The Witch in Into the Woods
Niwot High School
Class of 2017  

• College plans: I am headed to University of Northern Colorado. I will be majoring in political science and hopefully one day will become a Political Consultant. Or take over Stephen Colbert’s talk show.        
• First role: I played July in Annie when I was 10 years old and in the fifth grade at Twin Peaks Elementary
• Why do you perform? Because I love making people smile and feel better. Theatre has always been an escape for me. Going to see any play or musical is magical. And I want to share that experience with any and every audience member I perform in front of. 
• Ideal scene partner: I would love to be in a scene with Patti Lupone. She has been a big role model for me. She is just so iconic in the musical-theater world, and doing a scene with her would just be a dream come true. 
• Favorite moment from your show: It has to be our final dress rehearsal. It was the scene where The Baker and his wife have lost their cow, and I pop out of nowhere to threaten them. Then Rapunzel singing was supposed to stop them in their tracks, but the actor forgot to sing. So I keep going on with my lines and I did not know what to say. So when we came to the end of my cue line, just yelled to the Baker and his wife:  “I will eat your beans! ” Which made no sense. The Baker and his wife practically broke character, and it was just a hilarious moment! 
• How does it feel to be nominated? It is such honor, and I’m just lucky to have this experience.  I’m very appreciative of being a part of theater for so long it is such a joy. 
• What has this experience taught you about the value of arts education and extracurricular activities at your school? That art is so valuable and important in the high-school years. I met some of my closest friends through arts participation. I don’t think I would have truly found myself if I did not do theater. My biggest takeaway from arts education and extracurricular activities is to just try, because you don’t know who you’ll meet or how it can better you as a person if you don’t put yourself out there and go for it.  

CAMERON MARTER

Lakewood High School
Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney Todd
Class of 2017

• College plans: University of Montana, double major in acting and psychology
• First role: It was in a program called Prelude, which is linked with the Evergreen Children’s Chorale. The show was Pinnochio, and I played the Ringmaster. I was in first or second grade.
• Why do you perform? It brings me joy. But more important, it brings other people joy, along with a plethora of different emotions. If I made one audience member laugh or cry or smile or emote in any way, I feel like I’ve done my job.
• Ideal scene partner: Colin Firth is one of my all time favorite actors. I might pass out if I were in the same space as him.
• Favorite moment from your show: There’s a song called “A Little Priest,” and it’s essentially seven minutes of Trey (Sweeney Todd) and I making cannibalism puns. I’m supposed to pretend to take a swig from one of the cups on my counter, but I forgot to drain the cup of water from a previous scene. When I went to take a swig, I wasn’t ready for any actual liquid to be in the cup, and I proceeded to inhale the water. We went on with the song mostly fine, but there was a brief 30-second period of me coughing like mad, and then giving Trey the wrong cue line once I started again. It was the night we recorded the show, too.
• How does it feel to be nominated? There are not enough words to begin to describe how I felt seeing my name among the nominees. There was a lot of joy and excitement. But above all, the biggest thing I felt was gratitude.
• What has this experience taught you about the value of arts education and extracurricular activities at your school? I have felt endless joy through this and every other experience I have had in theater. I think every student should find an art or an extracurricular activity they take pride in and have a passion for. It’s through hard work in the things we are passionate about that we find joy.

GRACE NOLTE

Marguerite St. Just in The Scarlet Pimpernel
Chaparral High School
Class of 2017

• College plans: Drake University to major in Musical Theatre
• First role: I played the old woman in Cinderella for CYT community theatre when I was 11 years old
• Why do you perform? Because I love how you can really make a character your own. You can bring your past experiences and emotions to help your characters grow. I also love how the emotion from a character can relate to audience members and their past experiences. It can be such a powerful moment. 
• Ideal scene partner: I love Tom Hanks. He is such an incredible actor, and I feel like he would be so much fun to work with and learn from.
• Favorite moment from your show: Our final dress was our best rehearsal yet, and after we finished there was such a contagious energy going around. In that moment, we truly realized what everyone had worked so hard on for three months. It was an incredible feeling that we had created something truly amazing.  
• Fun moment where something went wrong: During the sword-fight scene, a sword (not mine!) hit me in the face. Luckily, this was the scene where my husband was going to be executed, so it was OK that a few tears were shed. 
• How does it feel to be nominated? It honestly hasn’t fully hit me yet. I am so honored and thankful that I have gotten the opportunity to take part in this wonderful event, and that I get to share this feeling with all of my wonderful cast and crew members, as well as the other incredible nominees.  
• What has this experience taught you about the value of arts education and extracurricular activities at your school? I have been in theatre for all four of my high-school years, and there were times when I felt that theatre wasn’t always as important at our school as the sports teams or student government. But this is my family, and theatre has given me a place to belong. I am so glad that there is an event like The Bobby G Awards, where so many these schools can come together and celebrate all of our achievements and support one another in the work that we do. 

ASHA ROMEO

Joanne Jefferson in Rent
Boulder High School
Class of 2017

• College plans: Attending San Francisco Conservatory of Music to study Vocal Performance
• First role: Juliet in Romeo and Juliet
• Why do you perform? Because it gives me the chance to connect to audiences even though I’m portraying a completely different person. It means I get to experience another life. I do it because of the raw connection it creates between myself and those watching.
• Ideal scene partner: Robin Williams. I have always loved and admired his comic flare, as well as his ability to genuinely present both himself and as his characters. I think he was incredibly intelligent as far as understanding human nature. Just being in the same room with him would be a pleasure.
• Favorite moment from Rent: Anytime I performed “The Tango: Maureen” with Jesse Shafroth, who played Mark. Each performance was unique, and I always had fun doing it. On our last show, Jesse and I were really milking it, and our audience was playing into it as well. There was some improvisation from both of us and I’m sure we looked ridiculous. But I will always remember how fun and natural it felt.
• How does it feel to be nominated? It still feels like a bit of a dream. It’s been a wonderful experience to work with all the other nominees, and it has been very humbling.
• What has this experience taught you about the value of arts education and extracurricular activities at your school? So many kids have talent and drive and potential. It’s a shame when those kids don’t get the chance to explore those abilities. I’m grateful to have gone to Boulder High School, where there are dedicated teachers and staff who take time out of their days to work with us. Boulder High provides focus on almost every aspect of the arts, and I could have taken classes in each one if I chose to. I would want that same high-school experience for everyone else.

Reserve your seat for the May 25 Bobby G Awards celebration here!

Previous coverage of the 2017 Bobby G Awards:

Meet your 2017 Bobby G Awards Outstanding Actor Finalists
2016-17 Bobby G Award finalists are announced
Video: Montage welcoming all 42 participating schools
Coming tomorrow: 2017 Outstanding Actor finalists

Meet your 2017 Bobby G Awards Outstanding Actor Finalists