Hennepin Theatre Trust Announces Fall 2011 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program Honors

MINNEAPOLIS—Hennepin Theatre Trust today announced the new Fall 2011 honorees from Minnesota high schools recognizing theatre accomplishments by school and category for the 2011-12 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program. Now in its seventh successful year, SpotLight is Hennepin Theatre Trust’s flagship educational initiative which honors, supports and advocates for Minnesota high school musical theatre students and programs. This year, a record 56 schools, including 13 new schools and nine from greater Minnesota, are presenting musicals made possible by the collaboration of almost 5,000 students and are annually seen by an estimated 105,000 audience members.

Current honorees from high schools who presented musicals in fall 2011 are from Apple Valley, Bemidji, Cambridge-Isanti, Chaska, Chisago Lakes, Circle Pines, Eagan, Edina, Forest Lake, Fridley, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Lakeville, Maple Grove, Moorhead, Mound, New Brighton, Shakopee, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, Winona, White Bear Lake and Woodbury. A comprehensive list of school participants is included at the end of this press release and a list of the fall 2011 honorees by school and category is available online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

The SpotLight Musical Theatre Program honors high school musicals and students by recognizing their extraordinary achievements and working to develop young talent in Minnesota’s high school musical theatre programs. This year, highlights include the first high school performances in the nation of Caroline, or Change (St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts), Legally Blonde (Minnetonka High School) and the musical version of A Christmas Carol (Eagan High School).

Schools and participating musical theatre students will also be honored at SpotLight’s culminating event, the seventh annual SpotLight Showcase, scheduled this year at 7 p.m., Monday, June 11, 2012 at the Orpheum Theatre. This gala evening celebrates and honors high school musical theatre by featuring dynamic student performances mixed with award presentations. Last year’s event sold out and featured nearly 1,000 Minnesota students performing on the Orpheum stage. Tickets will go on sale at a later date.

Linda Eder, SpotLight spokesperson, Broadway actress and Drama Desk-nominated vocalist, commented, “At a time when arts education budgets are being cut, giving young people opportunities to work together on school musicals is so important. Performing opens up a new world for some kids that didn’t even know they have the ability until they’re involved.”

Hennepin Theatre Trust, non-profit owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and the newly developed New Century Theatres, is an independent organization dedicated to enriching the vibrant cultural atmosphere of the Twin Cities and to arts-inspired community cultural development. The Trust established the SpotLight Musical Theatre Program after recognizing that none existed in Minnesota to honor excellence in high school musical theatre. The Trust supports participating schools by providing high-quality learning, performing and creative experiences for students to develop and empower the next generation of innovative leaders.

SpotLight’s benefits include the opportunity to work with local and national theatre educators and musical theatre professionals who offer training, insight through critical feedback and on-site school workshops. A group of evaluators is retained by the Trust to assess each production with constructive written commentary and nominate honorees. Categories include 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. Schools annually apply to participate and pay a nominal administration fee. SpotLight advocates for the importance of high school musical theatre education to support the statewide community of theatre artists, teachers and families who participate in this art form.

School Participants in the 2011-12 SpotLight Program
Andover High School: Annie Get Your Gun
Anoka High School: The Pirates of Penzance
Bemidji High School: White Christmas
Benilde-St. Margaret’s (St. Louis Park): How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Blaine High School: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
The Blake School (Minneapolis): Grease
Breck School (Minneapolis): My Fair Lady
Cambridge-Isanti High School: Grease
Centennial High School (Circle Pines): Little Shop of Horrors
Central High School (Saint Paul): Bye Bye Birdie
Chanhassen High School: Curtains
Chaska High School: Once Upon a Mattress
Chisago Lakes High School: Hello, Dolly!
Columbia Heights High School: Guys and Dolls
Concordia Academy (Roseville): Peter Pan
Cretin-Derham Hall (Saint Paul): Sweet Charity
DeLaSalle High School (Minneapolis): Into the Woods
Eagan High School: A Christmas Carol Musical
East Ridge High School (Woodbury): The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Eastview High School (Apple Valley): Beauty and the Beast
Edina High School: Urinetown
FAIR Downtown School (Minneapolis): TBA
Forest Lake High School: Guys and Dolls
Fridley Senior High School: Footloose
Glencoe-Silver Lake High School: Seussical
Hill-Murray School (Maplewood): Bye Bye Birdie
Irondale High School (New Brighton): How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Jefferson Senior High School (Alexandria): TBA
Lakeville North High School: The Secret Garden
Lakeville South High School: The Wizard of Oz
Main Street School of Performing Arts (Hopkins): The Producers
Maple Grove Senior High School: The Drowsy Chaperone
Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis): Honk!
Minnetonka High School: Legally Blonde
Monticello High School: Singing in the Rain
Moorhead High School: Children of Eden
Mound Westonka High School: The Drowsy Chaperone
New Life Academy (Woodbury): Beauty and the Beast
Norwood Young America High School: Little Shop of Horrors
Park High School (Cottage Grove): Blood Brothers
Richfield Senior High School: Little Shop of Horrors
Rogers High School: TBA
Roseville Area High School: Urinetown
Shakopee High School: Grease
Southwest High School (Minneapolis): Hairspray
South St. Paul Secondary School: Fiddler on the Roof
St. Francis High School: Curtains
St. Louis Park High School: Little Shop of Horrors
Saint Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts: Caroline, or Change
Tartan Senior High School (Oakdale): Once on This Island
Thomas Jefferson High School (Bloomington): All Shook Up
Totino-Grace High School (Fridley): Anything Goes
Washburn High School (Minneapolis): Fame
Wayzata High School: Brigadoon
White Bear Lake Area High School: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Winona Senior High School: The Secret Garden

Educators who wish to participate in the 2012-13 SpotLight Musical Theatre Program should contact Melissa Koch, Director of Education and Community Engagement, at 612.455.9530 or through email at melissa.koch@hennepintheatretrust.org. The application deadline will be in October 2012. SpotLight is made possible by private donations and corporate contributions. If you wish to support this program, additional information about it and sponsorship opportunities is available at www.HennepinTheatreTrust.org/SpotLight.

HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST, non-profit owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and the newly developed New Century Theatres, is an independent organization dedicated to enriching the vibrant cultural atmosphere of the Twin Cities and to arts-inspired community cultural development. We achieve our mission by presenting a rich array of live performances, creating inspiring arts education experiences and advancing a thriving Hennepin Avenue cultural corridor in downtown Minneapolis. Our activities include Broadway touring productions, the Broadway Confidential series, our SpotLight Musical Theatre Program for high schools, the Critical View student reviewer program, our free ticket Access Program and Kids’ Night.

This activity is 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.