HSMTA 2025 Nominations

Shai: Good afternoon, Capital Region! I’m Shai Davenport from the Collaborative School of the Arts, and I am thrilled to announce the 2025 High School Musical Theatre Awards nominees! 

This incredible event, celebrating the best in high school musical theatre across our region, will take place on May 10 on the MainStage at Proctors. And guess what? Tickets go on sale April 18th, so mark your calendars! Also, we’re so happy to have the Daily Gazette as our sponsor for another year. 

Abby: I’m Abby Burkhard from the Daily Gazette and we’re honored to be a part of the High School Musical Theatre Awards again. Each year, Proctors Collaborative is proud to host this celebration, recognizing the hard work, dedication, and passion of our local students, teachers, and theatre programs. And let me tell you, this year’s nominees are truly outstanding! 

Shai: Absolutely! We have an impressive number of nominations across multiple categories, highlighting the incredible talent in our region. This year, we’ve made a few changes – Best Actor and Actress are now one category of Outstanding Lead Performer. 

Abby: And that category is a big deal! The two Outstanding Lead Performer winners will move on to compete at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards—also known as The Jimmys—this June in New York City! 

Shai: It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we can’t wait to see which of our talented performers will represent the Capital Region on the national stage. 

Abby: But for now, let’s celebrate all our nominees! Starting with Backstage Excellence… 

The nominees for Backstage Excellence are: 

• Amsterdam High School – “Hadestown: Teen Edition” 

• Glens Falls High School – “The Prom” 

• Queensbury High School – “The Wizard of Oz” 

Shai:  

• Shenendehowa High School – “Legally Blonde” 

• And South Glens Falls High School – “Hadestown: Teen Edition” 

Next, the nominees for Outstanding Orchestra are: 

• Albany High School – “Bring It On” 

• Ballston Spa High School – “Catch Me If You Can” 

Abby:  

• Columbia High School – “Into the Woods” 

• Niskayuna High School – “Sunset Boulevard” 

• And Shenendehowa High School – “Legally Blonde” 

Next, the nominees for Outstanding Choreography Execution are:  

• Amsterdam High School – “Hadestown: Teen Edition” 

• Colonie Central High School – “Mary Poppins” 

Shai: 

• Niskayuna High School – “Sunset Boulevard” 

• Saratoga Springs High School – “Legally Blonde” 

• And South Glens Falls High School – “Hadestown: Teen Edition” 

Next, the nominees for Outstanding Ensemble are: 

• Albany High School – “Bring It On” 

• Amsterdam High School – “Hadestown: Teen Edition” 

Abby: 

• Ballston Spa High School – “Catch Me If You Can” 

• Schenectady High School – “School of Rock” 

• And South Glens Falls High School – “Hadestown: Teen Edition” 

Shai: Next, the nominees for the first group of Outstanding Supporting Performers are: 

• Mason Calarco as Michael Banks in “Mary Poppins,” Colonie Central High School 

• Julia Davies as Wilbur Turnblad in “Hairspray,” Catskill High School 

• Rae Philips as Jay in “Disney’s Descendants the Musical,” Cohoes High School 

• Olivia Storms as Kevin G. in “Mean Girls,” Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School 

• And Carmen Tarlo as Carlos in “Disney’s Descendants the Musical,” Cohoes High School 

Abby: These are the nominees for the second group of Outstanding Supporting Performers: 

• Serenity Palmer as Tomika Spencer-Williams in “School of Rock,” Schenectady High School 

• Sarah Pipino as Brooke Wyndham in “Legally Blonde,” Saratoga Springs High School 

• Elizabeth Signoretti as Penny Pingleton in “Hairspray,” Catskill High School 

• Lily Sinnott as Serena in “Legally Blonde,” Shenendehowa High School 

• And Holly Thorpe as Rapunzel in “Into the Woods,” Columbia High School 

Shai: Now, our first group of Outstanding Lead Performers: 

• Peter Breuggemann as Emmett Forrest in “Legally Blonde,” Saratoga Springs High School 

• Dante Depaulo as Professor Callahan in “Legally Blonde,” Saratoga Springs High School 

• Cameron Froehlich as Bert in “Mary Poppins,” Colonie Central High School 

• Peter Hinckley as Carl Hanratty in “Catch Me If You Can,” Ballston Spa High School 

• Aleksander Kacani as Billy Flynn in “Chicago: School Edition,” Albany Academy 

• Shane LaBounty as Trent in “The Prom,” Glens Falls High School 

• Vincent Marcantonio as Professor Harold Hill in “The Music Man,” Fort Ann High School 

• Roman Mangino as Frank Abagnale Jr. in “Catch Me If You Can,” Ballston Spa High School 

• Brandon Reisner as Hermes in “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” South Glens Falls High School 

• And Samuel Valberg as Hades in “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Amsterdam High School 

Abby: Next, our second group of Outstanding Lead Performers: 

• Mea Cleary as The Baker’s Wife in “Into the Woods,” Hoosick Falls Jr./Sr. High School 

• Abigail DeGregory as Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde,” Saratoga Springs High School 

• Alexandra Hallam as Tracy Turnblad in “Hairspray,” Catskill High School 

• Molly Hurley as Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde,” Shenendehowa High School 

• Ileana Jackson as Dewey Finn in “School of Rock,” Schenectady High School 

• Paeton Koshgarian as Paulette Bunofonte in “Legally Blonde,” Saratoga Springs High School 

• Hannah Marsh as Eurydice in “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” South Glens Falls High School 

• Sophia Plante as DeeDee Allen in “The Prom,” Glens Falls High School 

• Lianelys (LEE–UH-NELL-EASE) Oviedo Roman as Eurydice in “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Amsterdam High School 

• And Iris Whalen as Campell in “Bring It On,” Albany High School 

Shai: We will have callbacks for the potential nominees for Outstanding Lead Performers and announce the top ten Monday, April 21. Next, it’s time to break down Outstanding Musical Tiers A, B, and C. 

We’ll start with Outstanding Musical Tier A: 

• Albany High School – “Bring It On” 

• Colonie Central High School – “Mary Poppins” 

• And Glens Falls High School – “The Prom” 

Abby: For Outstanding Musical Tier B, the nominees are: 

• Ballston Spa High School – “Catch Me If You Can” 

• Saratoga Springs High School – “Legally Blonde” 

• And South Glens Falls High School – “Hadestown: Teen Edition” 

Shai: Last, but not least, for Outstanding Musical Tier C, the nominees are: 

• Amsterdam High School – “Hadestown: Teen Edition” 

• Cohoes Central High School “Disney’s Descendants the Musical” 

• And Schoharie High School – “Mamma Mia” 

Abby: A huge congratulations to all our nominees! Your hard work and passion make the arts community in the Capital Region shine. 

Shai: Remember, tickets go on sale April 18—don’t miss it! And a big thank you to everyone who makes this event possible—our dedicated panel of judges, students, teachers, families, and our incredible sponsors, like the Daily Gazette. We’ll see you at the High School Musical Theatre Awards May 10 on the MainStage at Proctors. 

Shai and Abby: Congratulations to all the nominees!