A VIDEO LOOK BACK:

Video by DCPA Video Producer David Lenk. Interviews by Senior Arts Journalist John Moore.

The Bobby G Awards celebrate achievement in high-school musical theatre. Our look back in video, photos and words. 

By John Moore
Senior Arts Journalist

The Denver Center’s fifth annual Bobby G Awards celebrated achievement in Colorado high-school theatre on May 25 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. (Click here for complete night-of coverage of the awards, including a list of winners and nominees.)

The video above provides a recap of the evening and includes interviews with students, teachers and DCPA staff. Our photo gallery below includes the red-carpet walk, the awards, student performances, backstage trophy presentations and a look back at rehearsals leading up to the big night.

The Bobby G Awards are a culmination of a year-long program administered by the Denver Center that emphasizes camaraderie and shared experiences – but there is also much at stake. The students named Outstanding Actor and Actress go on to represent Colorado at the The Jimmy® Awards/National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City. This year’s honorees are Elleon Dobias of Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch and Austin Hand of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins.

(Pictured above: Boulder High School’s performance of ‘Rent.’)

Our full report from the 2017 Bobby G Awards

For Dobias, was her record fourth straight nomination and first win. “Yes, I was nominated for Bobby G Awards my freshman, sophomore and junior year, and lost, lost, lost. But you lose some – you lose some,” she said with a giggle. “I was super excited to be nominated again this year just to have the chance to maybe go out on a win. I can’t believe it. My mind is short-circuiting right now because I am just so happy.”

Dovias played Catherine in Valor Christian’s production of Pippin, which was named Outstanding Musical (pictured right). Valor Christian is a private Christian school in Highlands Ranch. “My freshman year when I auditioned for the school play, there were 10 people auditioning,” she said. For Pippin, we had more than 60 people audition. I think recognition from a program like the Bobby G Awards has helped that growth.”

(Story continues below the photo gallery)

COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY:

To see more photos, click the forward arrow on the image above. All photos by John Moore and Emily Lozow for the DCPA NewsCenter. All photos may be downloaded and redistributed with permission from the DCPA with proper photo credit.

Award presenters included Denver First Lady Mary Louise Lee and Colorado native Gene Gillette, who is a member of the national touring production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, currently performing at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House through  June 25.

“High school was pretty rough for me,” Gillette told the DCPA NewsCenter. “I really look up to and envy these kids and the discipline they have to have gotten this far at this young of an age. I’ve been lucky to have theatre in my life.” Asked his advice to the teens, Gillette wisdom of his own theatre professor from the University of Colorado. “He told me, “There are two wolves inside of you. There is the wolf that wants to do good, and the wolf that wants to do bad. And whichever wolf you feed, that’s what you become. So feed your good wolf.”

(Pictured right: Reaction to naming of Valor Christian’s ‘Pippin’ as Outstanding Musical.)

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

While the Bobby G Awards culminate each year with the awards ceremony, which is modeled after the Tony Awards, the year-long focus of the program is to both celebrate and educate. The participating schools receive detailed feedback on their musical productions from the adjudicators. Joe Robinson, who played Dewhurst in Chaparral High School’s The Scarlet Pimpernel, was named the 2017 Rising Star. That’s an award reserved for a promising underclassman. 

“I would like to thank my Bobby G adjudicators for all of the valuable feedback you gave me,” Robinson said in his acceptance speech. “It really helped me in the right direction last year, moving into this year, and now going into next year.”

(Story continues below the photo)

Timothy McCracken, Head of Acting for DCPA Education, said the Denver Center is proud to offer the Bobby G Awards in Colorado because it aligns so well with its overall educational mission. “We are always looking for ways to continue to offer opportunities for younger artists to see what art and theatre can bring to a community, and to themselves as individuals. And this is one of those programs that highlights that.”

Coming next week: A separate video offering performance highlights.

John Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the U.S by American Theatre Magazine in 2011. He has since taken a groundbreaking position as the Denver Center’s Senior Arts Journalist.

MORE QUOTES OF NOTE:

• Shelly Cox-Robie, Director, Boulder High School (and 25-year actor at the nearby BDT Stage): The theatre kids feel like this is their equivalent of the football team going to state. As both a parent and as a teacher, it means so much for these kids to have the support and the camaraderie and the family that they have with (school theatre).
• Maya Stone, North/Strive Prep High School’s In the Heights: Doing In the Heights made a really big impact at our school because the story of In the Heights isn’t just a story to our community. It’s our story. We have such a feeling of pride. So many people put in so much work to make this happen. And it means so much to come together for one final performance her at the Bobby G Awards. I was telling (a castmate) on closing night, ‘I just want to go on stage as Nina one more time. You always want that when a show closes – and it is amazing that we get that opportunity to do that here tonight.
• Davie Gonzalez, North/Strive Prep High School’s In the Heights: It feels great to be invited to the party. It makes us feel like we did something really special. Something this big makes us feel really happy about ourselves, and makes us feel like we really do matter to this community.
• Dayna Marshal, North/Strive Prep High School’s In the Heights: Being nominated for Outstanding Musical was a very big deal to us. It meant coming out of the shadows. It meant proving everyone wrong about a minority community at a small school. It means everything to us. And as for performing tonight at the Ellie: It feels like butterflies are exploding in my stomach.
• Trey Kochevar, Outstanding Actor finalist, Lakewood High School: At school, it’s become a lot more that arts can be a cool thing thanks to the Bobby G Awards, rather than it just being about sports. You get a lot more respect when you are able to showcase your craft like all of the other extra-curricular activities can.  
• Grace Nolte, Outstanding Actress finalist, Chaparral High School: I came into this experience so scared that it was going to be such a catty environment. That changed the first minute we were all together. I have never been in such a collaborative environment with such contagious energy.
• Asha Romeo Outstanding Actress finalist, Boulder High School: I think this program raises up the schools that have put  a lot of work and dedication into their productions, and pushes other schools to better their own programs.
• Jesse Shafroth, Outstanding Actor finalist, Boulder High School: The Bobby G Awards has given us all good insight into what  show business is actually like. Because these rehearsals have been really fast-paced, and we have been learning a lot of stuff very quickly. I want to give a shout-out to our (Bobby G Awards) director, Claudia Carson. She’s the best.
• Chantal King, Outstanding Actress finalist, Niwot High School: Everyone has been so nice. Meeting everybody here was such a humbling and great experience.
• Gable Kinsman, Outstanding Actor finalist, Valor Christian High School: “I think theatre doesn’t usually get the credit that it deserves at our schools, but I think the Bobby G Awards program definitely helps.
• Austin Hand, Outstanding Actor, Fossil Ridge High School: This was the first year Fossil put itself up for nominationf, so just everyone was so excited when we found out that we were even nominated for two awards. I feel like athletics in schools get most of the recognition because of the competitive nature of sports. Theatre doesn’t have that, so its fun to have that extra push that Bobby G Awards provides to strive for greatness.
• Timothy McCracken, Head of Acting for DCPA Education: I have an 8-year-old son and I cannot wait till he has an opportunity to be in this environment, I think it is so inspiring. There are so many people here. The excitement is just amazing. You can just feel everyone bubbling over.

The Bobby G Awards’ Outstanding Actor and Actress finalists performed a medley tailored to each other, and their school musicals.

Previous 2017 Bobby G Awards coverage
Meet your 2017 Bobby G Awards Outstanding Actress finalists
Meet your 2017 Bobby G Awards Outstanding Actor finalists
2016-17 Bobby G Award finalists are announced
Video: The 2017 Bobby G Awards in 60 seconds