DPAC is pleased to announce the finalists for The DPAC Rising Star Awards, central North Carolina’s High School Musical Theatre Awards, that will take place on May 29^th, 2025 at 7:30 PM with host, Clay Aiken and special guest Tony Award Winner, J. Harrison Ghee. The DPAC Rising Star Awards is presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

 

The DPAC Rising Star Awards is a regional competition that celebrates keeping the performing arts alive in our school systems and is proudly a part of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA), also known as the Jimmy Awards®.  This program offers the potential to catapult the careers of Broadway's future stars and is open to high school musical theater programs across central North Carolina.
 

This year, students from 44 high school musical theater productions participated in hopes of being selected as a finalist in The DPAC Rising Star Awards. From a pool of 180 student nominees, judges have selected 20 student finalists.

 

The DPAC Rising Star Awards will feature performances by these 20 student finalists as they compete live for their chance to advance to the national level of the competition at the Jimmy Awards® in June. The evening will also include a special appearance and performance by Tony Award Winner and Broadway star J. Harrison Ghee, and a return performance by The DPAC Rising Star Awards' 2024 Best Actor and Actress winners Conor Kruger and Alex Fluker.

 

Back by Popular Demand: DPAC has invited performers from each participating school to perform on DPAC's stage in the Ensemble at The DPAC Rising Star Awards.  Approximately 80 students were invited to represent their school in this way, and we look forward to seeing many talented high school students make their DPAC debut in the Ensemble on May 29.

 

 

BEST ACTRESS FINALISTS:

• Audrey Lewis—Broughton High School—Donna, Mamma Mia
• Campbell Dean—RJ Reynolds High School—Eurydice, Hadestown Teen Edition
• Carmen Sophia Dubon—Weaver Academy for the Performing Arts—DeeDee Allen, The Prom
• Chloe Howard—RJ Reynolds High School—Persephone, Hadestown Teen Edition
• Danica Laan—C.E. Jordan High School—Sandra Bloom, Big Fish School Edition
• Huntley Cantin—Longleaf School of the Arts—Celie, The Color Purple
• Larkin Ragland—Seaforth High School—Anya, Anastasia
• Lilly Pritchard—Heritage High School—Elle Woods, Legally Blonde
• Madilynn Sanders—Heritage High School—Tracy, Hairspray
• Mollie Reeves—Cardinal Gibbons High School—Fiona, Shrek The Musical

BEST ACTOR FINALISTS:

• Ayden Eatchel—Longleaf School of the Arts—The Phantom, The Phantom of the Opera
• Carson Ohrel—Wake Forest High School—Scuttle, Disney's The Little Mermaid
• Corieon Simmiolkjier—Hillside High School—SpongeBob, The SpongeBob Musical
• Edmund Pattishall—C.E. Jordan High School—Will Bloom, Big Fish School Edition
• Jackson Colo—RJ Reynolds High School—Orpheus, Hadestown Teen Edition
• Josiah Jennings—Hillside High School—Patrick, The SpongeBob Musical
• Nicolas Sanchez—Enloe High School—Frump, Between The Lines
• Quinn Gray—Longleaf School of the Arts—Harpo, The Color Purple
• Sebastián Ariza—RJ Reynolds High School—Hermes, Hadestown Teen Edition
• Stephen Halsey—East Chapel Hill High School—Hades, Hadestown Teen Edition

This year, Student Finalists will be adjudicated by an esteemed panel of Ceremony Judges including Meredith Blair (President & CEO of The Booking Group), Alan Campbell (TV, Film and Broadway Actor), and Courtney Liu (Director, Choreographer and Professor of Music Theatre at Elon University). 

 

Other awards recognizing excellence in student performance and production that will be presented include Best Ensemble, Best Musical, Best Student Orchestra, Best Student Choreography, Best Student Lighting Design, Best Student Costume Design, Best Dancer and more.

 

At the ceremony on May 29, winners in all award categories will be announced, including The DPAC Rising Star Awards' Best Actor and Best Actress, who will both receive $2,000 in scholarships and an all-expense paid trip to New York City to compete in the Jimmy Awards® this June.

 

National High School Musical Theatre Awards

 

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA) was established in 2009 by Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances, a division of The Nederlander Organization, to elevate the importance of theatre arts education in schools and reward excellence in student performance.  The program impacts over 140,000 students annually who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by over forty professional theatres throughout the US.

 

Since its inception, NHSMTA® has been the catalyst for more than $4,000,000 in educational scholarships awarded to deserving young performers.  Also known as The Jimmy Awards®, named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, this year-round program is administered by The Broadway League Foundation Inc.

 

DPAC nominees have had great success at The Jimmy Awards® in recent years.  In 2021, Triangle Rising Stars nominee Elena Holder won the coveted Best Performance by an Actress title at The Jimmy Awards.  This honor came with $25,000 in scholarships, an invitation to audition for multiple Broadway shows and the opportunity to perform in Times Square in celebration of the reopening of Broadway.

 

In 2022, both Joshua and Symoné were named Top Four Finalists at The Jimmy Awards®, which is an incredibly rare accomplishment for two students from the same regional program.  As Top Four finalists, Joshua and Symoné received thousands of dollars in scholarships and multiple invitations to audition for Broadway shows, which are still being received today.

 

Tickets are $27.50 for The DPAC Rising Star Awards and are on sale Friday, May 2 at 10:00AM:

• Online at DPACnc.com
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina - Ticket Center at DPAC: 919.680.2787,
  123 Vivian Street / William V. "Bill" Bell Way, Durham NC

 

For more information about The DPAC Rising Star Awards, visit https://www.dpacnc.com/community/dpac-rising-star-awards

 

The DPAC Rising Star Awards are made possible by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

 

For more information about the National High School Musical Theatre Awards®/Jimmy™ Awards, visit: https://www.jimmyawards.com/

 

About Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken most recently starred on Broadway, alongside Ruben Studdard, in Ruben & Clay’s First

Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show at the Imperial Theater.The New York Times called the production ‘A Christmas Miracle’. This came ten years after Clay’s critically lauded Broadway debut in Monty Python's Spamalot. 

On the heels of Idol, he became the first artist in history to have his first single debut at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.  His subsequent album, Measure Of A Man, also debuted at #1 with the highest first week sales by a debut artist. His 2004 holiday release, Merry Christmas With Love, set a record for the fastest selling holiday album of the SoundScan era and remains tied for the highest charting debut of a holiday album in Billboard history. He served 9 years as a UNICEF Ambassador and in 2003, he co-founded, with Diane Bubel, what is now the National Inclusion Project to advocate and increase opportunities for children with disabilities to be included in extracurricular activities (such as summer camps and after-school programs) with their non-disabled peers.

Additional TV appearances include: 30 Rock, The Office, Scrubs, Days Of Our Lives, and Law & Order: SVU. Additional 2nd place finishes include: The Celebrity Apprentice in 2012 and the NC 2nd District US House race in 2014.  Beyond all of his successes (and near successes) his proudest accomplishment remains his son, Parker.

 

About J. Harrison Ghee

Tony Award and Grammy Award winner J. Harrison Ghee made history as the first nonbinary actor to win in a leading individual performance category for creating the role as “Daphne/Jerry” in SOME LIKE IT HOT, which also garnered them Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards. Also on Broadway, Ghee starred as “Lola” in KINKY BOOTS, created the role of “Andre Mayhem” in MRS. DOUBTFIRE and co-starred opposite Harry Connick, Jr. as “Johnny Hooker” in THE STING. Ghee captured audiences as “The Lady Chablis” in the musical premiere of MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL. On television, Ghee was selected to play the title role in “Robyn’s Story” on the hit FOX anthology series ACCUSED (dir. Billy Porter), starred as “Kwame” in Netflix’s RAISING DION and guest starred on HBO’s HIGH MAINTENANCE.

 

A Fayetteville, North Carolina native, Ghee moved to New York City to study at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and began their professional career working at Tokyo Disney, on cruise ships and national tours. They live by the mantra, “You have to free yourself to see yourself,” with the hope of inspiring people to dream big and to chase those dreams.

 

An outspoken advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, Ghee has been involved with many organizations, including Broadway Cares, GLAAD and God’s Love We Deliver, among others. Ghee hopes to create roles and conversations that reach beyond what was and into a realm of infinite possibilities.

 

About Meredith Blair:

Meredith Blair has served as the President of The Booking Group since its inception in 1996. In 29 years, TBG has represented 28 Tony Award® winning Best Musicals, Revivals and Plays. Some of TBG’s current touring productions include Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Book of Mormon, Hadestown, Six, Mamma Mia!, MJ the Musical, Funny Girl, The Wiz, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Tina, To Kill a Mockingbird, Some Like It Hot, Mean Girls, Chicago, and Parade. TBG is also proud to represent the upcoming tours of: Suffs, The Notebook, Buena Vista Social Club, Gypsy, Operation Mincemeat, Real Women Have Curves, Smash, and The Queen of Versailles.

 

About Alan Campbell

Alan is a Tony nominated actor known for his versatility. Over his forty plus year career, Alan has enjoyed featured roles on stage, film, television and in concert. His many credits include Broadway musicals, Off-Broadway and regional musicals and drama, feature and indy films, as well as costarring roles in television drama, comedy, and daytime. Alan received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Joe Gillis in the original Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard. Also on Broadway in Mamma Mia! and Contact at Lincoln Center. Feature films include Paul Schrader’s upcoming Oh Canada, Amazon’s Uncle Frank, and Universals A Simple Wish. On television most recently in M. Night Shaymalan’s Servant, Dopesick for Hulu, five seasons on Jake and the Fatman, Three’s a Crowd with John Ritter and appearances on Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Homicide: Life on the Streets, Another World and All My Children. As a producer, he has over 30 shows and concerts to his credit. Alan is a co-founder of Theatre Raleigh and a founding member of H.O.L.A. (Heart of Los Angeles) Youth Theatre, providing an artistic outlet and guidance to inner-city children. Alan lives in Raleigh North Carolina and is the proud father of Duke sophomore, Riley Rose.
 

About Courtney Liu:

Courtney Liu is an Assistant Professor of Music Theatre and Director-Choreographer at Elon University. She has performed with the Broadway cast of the Phantom of the Opera (Ballet Ensemble, Swing, Meg u/s, Assistant Dance Captain), Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, AEA & Disney Developmental labs, the Broadway Dance Lab, Norwegian Cruise Lines (Performer, Assistant Director), Busch Gardens Theme Parks, the Cincinnati Ballet, and Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Recent choreography credits include Forestburgh Theatre, Playmakers SYC, and the American Dance Festival in collaboration with the Nasher Museum. Courtney has taught dance for 20+ years and completed certification programs in Luigi Jazz Technique, Giordano Jazz Dance Technique, Vinyasa Yoga, and the ABT Ballet Teacher Training Program. Her research on flow states and dance pedagogy has been published in the Journal of Dance Education (JODE) and presented at conferences across the United States. Courtney received her BA in Psychology and MFA in Dance from Duke University.