National High School Musical Theater Awards

And the 2009 Capital Award goes to… Wait, let me back up! This wasn’t just any Capital Award, this was the Capital Award that had every student on pins and needles waiting to hear the result. This wasn’t just a student hearing their name, making an acceptance speech, taking some pictures, and that’s it. This was just the beginning. If your name was called, your life was about to change!

About a year ago Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and The Nederlander Foundation Inc. teamed up to create the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, a national program for those talented few who received the award for Outstanding Leading Actor and Actress in their hometown. These students will be flown up to New York City to work with a team of theatre professionals and a panel of experts for the chance to receive a 4-year scholarship to New YorkUniversity’s Tisch School of the Arts.

And the 2009 Capital Award goes to… Seth Johnson for his role as Jean Valjean at CaryAcademy and Rebecca Brinkley for her role as Evita at Cedar Ridge High School! On June 25they will be flown up to NYC, courtesy of Capital Bank, for 4 days of private lessons, master classes, rehearsals and finally the show on June 29, 2009 at the Skirball Center on NYU’s campus. They could not happier for this opportunity and are so excited to get up there and start the process.

Rebecca & Seth with Grant Yarber, Capital Bank CEO & President.

For more information, please visit www.nhsmta.com

~Staci Thornton, Education & Outreach Manager