The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center is proud to announce Paige Neumeyer and Travis Vandenberg made their debut on a Broadway stage at The Jimmy® Awards in New York City Monday night.
Nominated for their leading performances at their high school and chosen through a separate audition process, the pair represented the Center Stage High School Musical Theater Awards, an educational initiative of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.
At the national level they had the opportunity to audition for scholarships, learn from professionals in a week of workshops and perform on stage at the Minskoff Theater (currently the Broadway home to Disney's The Lion King).
Paige Neumeyer was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress for her role as Cassie in Green Bay East's production of A Chorus Line, a role she was also selected to sing from during the medley portion of The Jimmy Awards. She is a recent graduate who intends to study musical theater at Millikin University in Illinois this fall.
Travis Vandenberg was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actor for his role as Seymour Krelborn in Kimberly's production of Little Shop of Horrors. He is a recent graduate who intends to study English education and musical theater performance at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in the fall.
"We are so proud of Paige and Travis for their hard work in New York City this week and congratulate them on their performance at The Jimmy Awards," said director of marketing and communications Trisha Witt. "As representatives of our Center Stage High School Musical Theater Awards program, the two were outstanding ambassadors of the amazing talent found throughout Northeast Wisconsin."
ABOUT THE 2017-18 CENTER STAGE AWARDS
Throughout the 2017-18 school year, 17 local high schools participated in the Center Stage High School Musical Theater Awards program, an education initiative that celebrates and supports the achievements of high school theater programs in Northeastern Wisconsin.
During the program year, participating students were invited to attend eight workshops with professional artists at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center and had the opportunity to ask questions and explore different aspects of theater, giving them a deeper understanding of professional performing arts.
A team of trained adjudicators attended each participating school's musical production and provided educational feedback, ultimately determining the recipients of this year's Center Stage Awards. Scores for each production were tabulated and the top qualifiers were nominated to represent their school at the official showcase. All qualifying nominees were recognized with an award in their category at the Center Stage High School Musical Theater Awards Showcase on May 19.
This year's participating high schools included: Appleton East, Ashwaubenon, Denmark, Fond du Lac, Freedom, Green Bay East, Green Bay Preble, Green Bay Southwest, Green Bay West, Hortonville, Kimberly, Little Chute, Mishicot, Neenah, Notre Dame Academy, St. Mary Catholic and Winneconne.
|