And the Blumey Awards go to …
Somewhere in the greater Charlotte region, Lauren Hunkele and Justin Norwood are probably still jumping up and down.
They won top acting awards at the fourth annual Blumenthal Performing Arts High School Musical Theater Awards – known as The Blumeys – and will go to New York for a weeklong, all-expenses-paid stay. They’ll train and compete against other regional winners June 29 in the National High School Musical Theater Awards, called The Jimmys after Broadway producer James Nederlander.
They heard the good news before a sold-out house at Belk Theater Sunday. There, in a show sponsored by Wells Fargo, winners in 12 categories took home trophies in categories such as best actor, best actress and best musical performed.
The Wells Fargo Best Musical award went to Kings Mountain (Tier 1: budget under $10,000) for “Little Shop of Horrors,” and Ardrey Kell (Tier 2: budget $10,000 or more) for “42nd Street.”
Top acting prizes went to Hunkele of Northwest Cabarrus, for her work as Jo March in “Little Women,” and Norwood of Rock Hill South Pointe, for playing Radames in “Aida.”
Twelve students participated in the Student Critic Program in association with the awards, with support from The Charlotte Observer. Helen Coats of Northwestern High School won the Charlotte Observer Student Critic Award.
The Doctor Family Foundation awards a $10,000 annually renewable scholarship to two students each year. The Mary Doctor Performing Arts Scholarship went to Javontre Booker, Northwest School of the Arts, and Erynn Vickery, Forestview High.
Blumenthal recently announced The Gordon Hay Scholarship, an endowed prize for a Charlotte-area senior planning a non-performing career in the performing arts. This year, that one-time, $5,000 award went to Aslan Freidline of Davidson Day School.
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Winners for the Blumenthal Performing Arts School Musical Theater Awards
Wells Fargo Best Musical (Tier 1): Kings Mountain – “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Wells Fargo Best Musical (Tier 2): Ardrey Kell – “42nd Street.”
Best Actor: Justin Norwood – (Rock Hill) South Pointe’s “Aida.”
Best Actress: Lauren Hunkele – Northwest Cabarrus’ “Little Women.”
Best Supporting Actor: Noah Rosario – Northwest School of the Arts’ “Peter Pan.”
Best Supporting Actress: Haley Conway – Southlake Christian Academy’s “Oklahoma!”
Best Featured Performer: Austin Willis – Kings Mountain’s “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Best Direction: Ardrey Kell – “42nd Street.”
Best Student Orchestra: Ardrey Kell – “42nd Street.”
Best Choreography Execution: Northwest School of the Arts – “Peter Pan.”
Best Ensemble/Chorus: Ardrey Kell – “42nd Street.”
Best Set Construction: Ardrey Kell – “42nd Street.”
Best Costume Creation: Northwest School of the Arts – “Peter Pan.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2015 at 9:27 PM with the headline "And the Blumey Awards go to …."