Congratulations to North Hills High School senior Tyler Dumas who received a Gene Kelly Awards nomination for Best Actor.
The 2021 Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater will be held as a virtual event this year on Saturday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m.
"While we can’t be together in person at the Benedum, gathering virtually will allow us to applaud the ingenuity and perseverance of students, teachers and school communities,” said Executive Producer Mark Fleischer.
All high schools in Allegheny County were eligible to submit performances for consideration, even if the school did not have a production. As such, no group categories will be adjudicated or awarded. The competition will include only the four individual categories of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
Dumas’ performance from the high school’s recent spring musical “Songs for a New World” was one of two submissions that led to his nomination.
Each participating school was asked to select two students for the opening number and two students for the finale. North Hills senior Anna Gdovichin and Dumas will perform in the virtual event’s opening and seniors Shea Sweeney and Morgan Kappeler will perform in the finale.
As a sophomore in 2019, Dumas was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Gene Kelly Award for his performance as "Hugo" in "Tuck Everlasting," the high school's musical that year. Dumas is also the high school drama club's president.
"For the past three years, Tyler has attended every rehearsal with energy, positivity, and creativity to make each role better than the last," said musical director Lauren Sarazen. "He's been a remarkable leader for our program by modeling professionalism, passion and support for his peers. Tyler constantly seeks opportunities to grow as a performer and I couldn’t be more proud of his decision to pursue musical theatre in college."
About the Gene Kelly Awards
The Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater were launched in 1991 as a means to recognize and encourage student achievement and to focus the attention of the community and school districts on the importance of musical theater and arts education.
Patterned after Broadway’s Tony Awards, this event celebrates the power of the Arts to significantly improve all areas of education! High school theater programs are the real winners as show business veterans and community celebrities help to spread the word about the achievements of high school students and their school’s musical theater programs. Over the past 20 years, Gene Kelly Award winners have gone on to Broadway and Hollywood careers.
The 2021 Best Actor and Best Actress winners will represent Pittsburgh in the Nationwide High School Musical Theatre Jimmy Awards to be held virtually in June.