The Shea’s High School Musical Theatre Awards Program is a dynamic initiative designed to celebrate and support the arts in high schools, foster excellence in musical theatre, and provide valuable educational opportunities for students. This program is deeply committed to nurturing young talent, promoting collaboration, and building a strong sense of community within the world of musical theatre.
For more information, please contact our Arts Education Coordinator, Jake Grear.
Amherst High School – Les Misérables
Belfast Central School – Beauty and the Beast
Brocton Central School District – Freaky Friday
Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts – Mean Girls
Cleveland Hill High School – The Sound of Music
Dunkirk Secondary School – Mamma Mia!
Eden High School – Footloose
Fredonia High School – Beauty and the Beast
Jamestown High School – The Music Man
John F. Kennedy Jr./Sr. High School – The Sound of Music
Lake Shore High School – All Shook Up
Maple Grove Jr./Sr. High School – Mean Girls
Nardin Academy – Chicago: Teen Edition
Pine Valley Jr./Sr. High School – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Randolph Jr./Sr. High School – The Little Mermaid
Royalton-Hartland High School – Freaky Friday
St. Joseph’s Collegiate Academy – Guys and Dolls
St. Mary’s High School – Beauty and the Beast
Sweet Home High School – The Addams Family
West Seneca West High School – Mamma Mia!
Ally Hasselback
Andrea Letcher
Bella Poynton
Clara Tan
Daniel Torres
Diane Jones
Doug Weyand
Ember Tate-Steele
Jackie Gould
James Beaudry
Jeannine VanWey
Jennifer Horton
Kathleen Dunne
Kelly Copps
Lily Jones
Lissette DeJesus
Maria Ta
Michael Gilbert-Wachowiak
Nathan Miller
Nicolette Navarro
Rita Sirianni
Robert Mazierski
Rolando Gomez
Stephen Schapero
Sydney Conrad
Outstanding Musical Production – $5,000 grant, $2,500 grant, and $1,000 grant
Jimmy Awards – Best Performance by an Actor
Jimmy Awards – Best Performance by an Actress
Outstanding Lead/Supporting Performances
Outstanding Collective Ensemble Performance
Outstanding Dance Execution – $500 grant
Outstanding Collective Vocal Performance – $500 grant
Outstanding Student-Led Orchestral Performance – $500 grant
Outstanding Lighting Design and Execution – $500 grant
Outstanding Scenic Design and Execution – $500 grant
Outstanding Costume Design and Execution – $500 grant
Outstanding Hair and Makeup Design and Execution – $500 grant
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Outstanding Music Direction of a Musical
Outstanding Choreography of a Musical
Outstanding Execution by Crew
The Showstopper Award
All Star Cast Award
Outstanding Original Poster Design
Magic of Theatre Award
Power of Storytelling Award
Celebration of Community Award
Michael Shea Award for Theatre Educator of the Year
Shea’s will implement several significant changes this year to enhance the program. Our primary focus is on growth and inclusivity within the high-school musical theater community.
Simplified Registration: Instead of an application process, Shea’s will implement a straightforward registration system. This change is intended to encourage more schools to participate and increase overall participation. Schools who meet the criteria will join the program on a first come, first serve basis.
Expanded Participation: The goal is to increase the number of participating schools from 10 to 15 in the first year. This expansion will provide more students with the opportunity to showcase their talents and be part of the event.
Increased Number of Adjudicators: Shea’s will expand the panel of adjudicators participating in the program. The selection process will aim to bring in adjudicators with diverse perspectives and expertise, aligning with the commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Revised Evaluation Rubric: The evaluation rubric used for judging will be revised to provide clearer and more transparent scoring for all participating schools. This change is in response to valuable feedback from teachers and aims to improve the adjudication process.
Changes to Awards Structure: The awards structure will be modified to benefit a broader range of schools. While still recognizing outstanding productions, Shea’s will introduce additional monetary awards beyond the single school recognized for Outstanding Production of a Musical. This change aims to support more schools and foster a sense of shared achievement and encouragement within the entire community.
All public, private, and charter schools in Erie, Niagara, Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua, Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties producing a full-length musical production are eligible and encouraged to apply for and participate in the Shea’s High School Musical Theatre Awards. This includes ‘School Editions’ but not Broadway Junior or TYA shows.
Participating casts must be largely made up of students in grades 9-12.
Participating programs must acquire proper licensing for their production and let the licensing house know that they are participating in this program.
Occur within the program’s adjudication window period of November 2023 to April 2024.
Utilize material from a musical production eligible for the 2024 National High School Musical Theater Awards competition (The Jimmy Awards).
Participating schools must commit to ALL dates and deadlines.
Registration for all high schools will open on Friday, October 6th at 9:00 AM. Interested schools can also attend a virtual information session on Tuesday, October 3rd at 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
October 3, 2023 – Virtual information session for all interested.
October 6, 2023 – Registration Open
October 10, 2023 – Registration deadline (15 schools on a first come first serve OR lottery basis)
November 2023 – Program Directors are asked to attend a welcome meeting with Shea’s Arts Engagement and Education Department Staff.
April 25, 2024 – Nominees Announced
May 25, 2024 – Shea’s High School Musical Theatre Awards
All participating schools will receive adjudication from local theater educators and/or working professionals. We have created a brand-new rubric and scoring process. When all schools have been adjudicated, these scores will be tallied which will determine the nominees and winner for each category.
Nominations will be announced in late-April of each year.
The Shea’s High School Musical Theatre Awards adjudicators consist of qualified arts professionals and educators. All adjudicators must attend regular meetings that consist of training, orientation, idea sharing, and program updates.
Adjudicated Categories
Submitted Categories
Spirit of Wonder Awards
Outstanding production of a musical (gold) will receive a $5,000 grant for that school’s theatre program.
Outstanding production of a musical (silver) will receive a $2,500 grant for that school’s theatre program.
Outstanding production of a musical (bronze) will receive a $1,000 grant for that school’s theatre program.
Outstanding Orchestral Performance will receive a $500 grant for the school’s theatre program.
Outstanding Collective Vocal Performance will receive a $500 grant for the school’s theatre program.
Outstanding Dance Performance will receive a $500 grant for the school’s theatre program.
Outstanding Achievement in Costumes will receive a $500 grant for the school’s theatre program.
Outstanding Achievement in Hair & Make-up will receive a $500 grant for the school’s theatre program.
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting will receive a $500 grant for the school’s theatre program.
Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design will receive a $500 grant for the school’s theatre program.