Rowlett High School’s Eagle Theatre Company is making waves in the local arts community, dominating nominations in two of the area’s biggest arts events. The talented troupe’s performance of Evita led to 11 out of 14 Schmidt and Jones Awards nominations, as well as 12 out of 17 Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) High School Musical Theatre Awards nods—setting a campus and DSM record.
“Dallas Summer Musicals offers awards to high school students once a year with scholarships attached to the winners,” said Visual & Performing Arts Coordinator Brenda Hass. “Rowlett High School received the most nominations this year, becoming the most-nominated school in DSM Awards history.”
Both awards programs feature an application process and a panel of professional judges who screen productions, evaluate performances and select finalists. The Schmidt and Jones Awards, sponsored by professional musical theater company Lyric Stage, honors excellence in high school musical theater in a Tony Award® atmosphere. The DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards is the second-largest high school musical theater awards program in the country. DSM awards scholarships to winners and offers the Best Actor and Actress winners all-expense paid trips to New York City to compete in nationals.
RHS is in the running for a range of Best Of categories in both awards, including costumes, direction, lighting design, musical and scenic design. Seniors Kynzi Gumm and Chris Ivey are up for DSM’s Best Leading Actress and Actor for their renditions of Evita and Che.
To be nominated in several categories is not only prestigious, it also allows students the opportunity to perform for regional audiences on professional stages.
“The students’ hard work paid off again,” stated RHS theater director Brandon Tijerina. “The students are blessed this year to be able to perform on the Music Hall and Majestic stage for each event.”
Rowlett’s talented fine arts students will find out if they receive top honors May 17 at the DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards and May 25 at the Schmidt and Jones Awards.
See a complete list of DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards nominations on their website. To view all Schmidt and Jones Awards nods, visit their Facebook page online.
Information provided by Garland ISD.