The following list first appeared at onstagepittsburgh.com, a website dedicated to coverage of the performing arts in the Greater Pittsburgh region. Click here to find updates and to learn more about onStage Pittsburgh’s mission to connect the diverse community of theater-makers and theater-goers in Western Pennsylvania.

Nominees for the 2023 Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater, representing 32 Allegheny County schools, were announced May 10. The annual awards ceremony and showcase will be Saturday, May 27, at the Benedum Center.

Presented by Pittsburgh CLO, the Kellys also are an opportunity for students to be awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships. This year, CLO and the Kellys have added the award of Outstanding Student Artist(s), given to individuals or groups who may not fit into the recognition given in previous categories.

The top actors from both the Kellys and the Henry Mancini Awards – recognizing student performances in Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties – have the opportunity to compete on the national level at the Jimmy Awards, hosted this year by Corbin Bleu at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre, home of The Lion King.

This year marks the third top actor nomination for two-time winner Tyler Guinto-Brody of Elizabeth Forward. His school experienced a devastating fire in its auditorium, but with the support of the community — including Kelly competitors — the show went on at

The Kellys ceremony features group performances by students from participating schools, and medleys from the nominees for Best Actor and Actress.

Participating schools are: Avonworth, Baldwin, Bishop Canevin, Carlynton, Chartiers Valley, Eden Christian Academy, Elizabeth Forward, Gateway Pittsburgh CAPA, Hampton, Keystone Oaks, McKeesport, Montour, Moon Area, North Hills, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Pittsburgh Allderdice, Pittsburgh CAPA, Plum, Quaker Valley, Redeemer Lutheran, Riverview, Serra Catholic, Sewickley Academy, Shady Side Academy, Springdale, St. Joseph, Thomas Jefferson, West Allegheny, Westinghouse Arts Academy and Woodland Hills.

THE 2023 GENE KELLY AWARD NOMINEES ARE:

BEST MUSICAL

Budget Level I

• McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish

Budget Level II

• Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
• Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Budget Level III

• Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Riverview, Young Frankenstein

Budget Level IV

• Hampton, Something Rotten!
• Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
  

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BEST SCENIC DESIGN

Budget Level I

• McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
• Serra Catholic, Little Shop of Horrors (Broadway Version)

Budget Level II

• Carlynton, Disney’s The Little Mermaid
• Quaker Valley, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
• Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Budget Level III

• Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Moon Area, Something Rotten!
• Riverview, Young Frankenstein

Budget Level IV

• Hampton, Something Rotten!
• Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
• Woodland Hills, Seussical
  

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BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Budget Level I

• McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
• Redeemer Lutheran, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Original)

Budget Level II

• Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
• Carlynton, Disney’s The Little Mermaid
• Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Budget Level III

• Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Moon Area, Something Rotten!
• Riverview, Young Frankenstein

Budget Level IV

• Hampton, Something Rotten!
• Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
• Woodland Hills, Seussical
  

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BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Budget Level I

• McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
• Serra Catholic, Little Shop of Horrors (Broadway Version)

Budget Level II

• Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
• Chartiers Valley, 9 to 5 the Musical
• Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Budget Level III

• Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Riverview, Young Frankenstein
• Shady Side Academy, Chicago: Teen Edition

Budget Level IV

• Hampton, Something Rotten!
• Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
• Woodland Hills, Seussical
  

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BEST VOCAL ENSEMBLE

Budget Level I

• McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
• Serra Catholic, Little Shop of Horrors (Broadway Version)

Budget Level II

• Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
• Pittsburgh CAPA, The Prom
• Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Budget Level III

• Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Moon Area, Something Rotten!
• Riverview, Young Frankenstein

Budget Level IV

• Hampton, Something Rotten!
• Plum, Fiddler on the Roof
• Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
  

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BEST DANCE ENSEMBLE

Budget Level I

• McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School, Big Fish
• Sewickley Academy, Big Fish School Edition

Budget Level II

• Pittsburgh CAPA, The Prom
• Quaker Valley, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
• Westinghouse Arts Academy Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Budget Level III

• Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Moon Area, Something Rotten!
• Riverview, Young Frankenstein

Budget Level IV

• Hampton, Something Rotten!
• Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
• Woodland Hills, Seussical
  

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BEST CREW/TECHNICAL EXECUTION

Budget Level I

• McKeesport Area, All Shook Up
• Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Big Fish
• Sewickley Academy, Big Fish School Edition

Budget Level II

• Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
• Bishop Canevin, Freaky Friday
• Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Budget Level III

• Elizabeth Forward, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Moon Area, Something Rotten!
• Shady Side Academy, Chicago: Teen Edition

Budget Level IV

• Hampton, Something Rotten!
• Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
• Woodland Hills, Seussical
  

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BEST STUDENT ORCHESTRA

• Avonworth, Grand Hotel: The Musical
• Moon Area, Something Rotten!
• Pittsburgh CAPA, The Prom
• Shady Side Academy, Chicago: Teen Edition
• Thomas Jefferson, Anything Goes (2022 Revision)
• Westinghouse Arts Academy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
  

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OUTSTANDING STUDENT ARTIST

• Anna Boothby (Student Lighting Op/On-stage Role Replacement), Avonworth
• Charlotte Kinslow (Understudy and Cast), Chartiers Valley
• Linz Thomas (Technical Lighting Designer), Elizabeth Forward
• David Poirier and Kulthoom Fatema Dinani (Documentarians), Hampton
• Jack Cipriani (Advertisement Coordinator/Director), Moon Area
• Alexa Custer (Assistant Music Director), Pittsburgh CAPA
  

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Brooks Brady (Thomas Nostradamus, Something Rotten!), Hampton
• Primo Brodt-Jenkins (Harry Bright, Mamma Mia!), Gateway
• Avi Chetlin (Trent Oliver, The Prom), Pittsburgh CAPA,
• David Keller (Simeon, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Westinghouse Arts Academy
• Hayden Krupp (Moonface Martin, Anything Goes), Thomas Jefferson
• Eli Wynn (Thernardier,  Les Misérables), Pittsburgh Allderdice
  

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Ashley Caldwell (Erma, Anything Goes), Thomas Jefferson
• Annelise Hanson (Mayzie Labird, Seussical), Woodland Hills
• Kenzie Heidenreich (Jan, Grease), West Allegheny
• Lila Kelley (Zinnia Wormwood, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical), Baldwin
• Lucia Palmer (Portia, Something Rotten!), Moon Area
• Natalie Whitfield (Rosie, Mamma Mia!), Gateway
  

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BEST ACTOR

• Jack Cipriani (Nick Bottom, Something Rotten!), Moon Area
• Amerik Cirota (Joseph, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Westinghouse Arts Academy
• Tyler Guinto-Brody (Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Elizabeth Forward
• Nathan Marks (Dom Claude Frollo,The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Elizabeth Forward
• Ben Stolarz (Jean Valjean, Les Misérables), Pittsburgh Allderdice
• Kai Suyama (Nick Bottom, Something Rotten!) Hampton
  

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BEST ACTRESS

• Felicity Dicken (Judy Bernly, 9 to 5 the Musical), North Hills
• Isabella Gricar (Narrator, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Westinghouse Arts Academy
• Brylee Hendry (Hodel, Fiddler on the Roof), Plum
• Kaitlyn Majewski (Natalie Heller/Ed, All Shook Up) McKeesport Area
• Rachael Parsons (Hope Harcourt,  Anything Goes), Thomas Jefferson
• Ava Sandstrom (Eponine, Les Misérables), Pittsburgh Allderdice

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