5 Akron-area high schoolers earn top Dazzle nominations for musical roles 🎭

High school students from seven Akron-area schools were among thousands of local musical theater teens to learn the exciting news Tuesday about this year's Playhouse Square Dazzle Awards nominations.

The nominations from among 37 participating Northeast Ohio high schools were announced on Fox 8's "New Day Cleveland" with Natalie Herbick and David Moss.

Leading the way among Summit County Schools was Hudson High School with seven nominations, including best Tier 2 musical ("Into the Woods") for schools with budgets of $13,000 or more. Hudson's Lindsey Ross also received a nomination for best actress as the Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods."

Hudson's other nominations are for best technical execution, best scenic design, best ensemble, best costumes and best orchestra.

Hudson's orchestra, which won best student orchestra last year for "The Addams Family" and in 2022 for "Chicago," is going for a "three-peat" this year, said orchestra director Roberto Iriarte. The school's Ryan Heckroth also was chosen to play trumpet as a music apprentice with professional pit musicians at the Dazzle Awards later this month.

Two best actor nominations at Firestone

In Akron, " The SpongeBob Musical " shenanigans paid off for junior Kyle McFalls and senior Stanley Niekamp of Firestone CLC's Akron School for the Arts , who received best actor nominations for their respective roles as SpongeBob SquarePants and Squidward.

Other Akron-area students to receive best actress nominations are senior Alexandra Newman of Western Reserve Academy for her role as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" and Olivia "Livy" Douglas of Medina High School for her role as Emma in "The Prom (School Edition)."

Winners of the best actor and best actress awards in the final, live Dazzle Awards competition May 18 at Playhouse Square's State Theatre will go on to compete nationally in the Jimmy Awards at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre in New York June 24.

Medina High also won nominations for best scenic design and best choreography execution for "The Prom."

Aurora High School received nominations for best Tier 1 musical with a budget of less than $13,000 for "Legally Blonde the Musical" and best supporting actress Kaitlyn Tanski as Serena. Aurora student Philip Yao also was chosen as a musical apprentice on violin.

Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron also garnered a nomination for best costume design for "Little Mermaid," as did Nordonia High School for "Mamma Mia!"

Thirty-seven schools competed in this year's Dazzle Awards. Avon Lake High School received the highest number of nominations with 13.

Among the top honors at the upcoming Dazzle Awards, Hudson will compete against Avon Lake High School ("The Little Mermaid") and Magnificat High School ("The Addams Family" School Edition) for best Tier 2 musical May 18 in Cleveland. Aurora will compete against Lutheran High School West ("Curtains" School Edition) and Mayfield High School ("Rent" School Edition) for best Tier 1 musical.

Akron School for the Arts' best actor nominees McFalls and Niekamp will compete against actors from Bay, Avon Lake, Mayfield, Lakewood and Magnificat high schools for the chance to represent Northeast Ohio in New York. Douglas from Medina, Newman from Western Reserve and Ross from Hudson will face off against actresses from Solon, Avon Lake, Eastlake North and Magnificat high schools for the best actress award.

For tickets to the Dazzle Awards, which will be at 7:30 p.m. May 18, call 216-241-6000 or see playhousesquare.org . Cost is $20-$25.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 5 Akron-area high schoolers earn top Dazzle nominations for musical roles 🎭