Producers Spotlight: Win a Bailey Box on Opening Night!

We are excited to team up with Bailey's Fine Jewelry and Producers presenting sponsor, Capital Bank, for a fun promotion on February 12th - the opening night performance of The Producers.

Here's the deal...

• Bailey's will donate a $795 pair of David Yurman earrings and one lucky audience member will walk away with them!
• Capital Bank will also give one lucky audience member $500 cash - this will double for current Capital Bank customers.

All you have to do is purchase a ticket to opening night and you could be one of two winners! We have great discounts to opening night - and any other performance - choose from $35 mezzanine tickets or save up to $10 per ticket. Use discount code ULLA for $35 mezzanine tickets or discount code MAXANDLEO to receive up to $10 off per ticket.

Click here to purchase or call 919-831-6941 x6944 or x6943.

Congrats 2010 Capital Award Recipients!

Presented by Capital Bank, the 4th Annual NCT Capital Awards were truly a success on Monday, May 24th in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. Here is a complete list of this year's recipients:

Outstanding Featured Performer: Nathan Heath, St. David's School, Fiddler on the Roof

Outstanding Scenic Design: Ravenscroft School, Oliver

Outstanding Lighting Design: Ravenscroft School, Oliver

Outstanding Sound Design: Chapel Hill High School, The Wizard of Oz

Outstanding Orchestra: Green Hope High School, FAME

Outstanding Costume Design: Trinity Academy of Raleigh, Ernest in Love

Outstanding Musical Direction: Knightdale High School, Little Shop of Horrors

Outstanding Ensemble: Knightdale High School, Little Shop of Horrors

Outstanding Stage Crew & Technical Execution: Green Hope High School, FAME

Outstanding Choreography: West Johnston High School, Guys and Dolls

Outstanding Direction: Green Hope High School, FAME

Outstanding Supporting Actor: Andrew Coleman, Knightdale High School, Little Shop of Horrors

Outstanding Supporting Actress: Katy Wilson, St. David's School, Fiddler on the Roof

Outstanding Leading Actor: Elgin Giles, West Johnston High School, Guys and Dolls

Outstanding Leading Actress: Katie Finan, Green Hope High School, FAME

Outstanding Musical: Green Hope High School, FAME

Katie Finan and Elgin Giles after the ceremony

2010 Capital Award Nominees Announced!

Presented by Capital Bank, the 4th Annual Capital Awards will be held on Monday, May 24th at 7 PM in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Capital Awards, they are a Tony Awards-style ceremony that celebrate high school musical theatre excellence across the Triangle.

Ten schools are participating in this year's program. Here are a list of the nominees:

Athens Drive High School - Little Shop of Horrors

• Featured Performer (Alec Sturgis)
• Scenic Design
• Musical Direction
• Orchestra
• Supporting Actor (Wiley Black)
• Choreography
• Direction
• Leading Actor (Devin Romney)
• Leading Actress (Sawyer Stone)

Chapel Hill High School - The Wizard of Oz

• Sound Design
• Orchestra

Green Hope High School - FAME!

• Featured Performer (Kailyn Eskridge)
• Scenic Design
• Lighting
• Costumes
• Musical Direction
• Orchestra
• Ensemble
• Choreography
• Direction
• Leading Actress (Katie Finan)
• Stage Crew and Technical Execution
• Outstanding Musical

Knightdale High School - Little Shop of Horrors

• Sound Design
• Scenic Design
• Lighting
• Costumes
• Musical Direction
• Supporting Actor (Andrew Koleman)
• Supporting Actress (Trio)
• Stage Crew and Technical Execution
• Ensemble
• Direction
• Leading Actor (Chris Cunningham)
• Leading Actress (Jordan Ogdan)
• Outstanding Musical
• Musical Direction
• Choreography

North Raleigh Christian Academy - Hello, Dolly!

• Sound Design
• Lighting Design
• Orchestra
• Supporting Actor (Devon Corey)
• Stage Crew and Technical Execution
• Ensemble
• Choreography
• Outstanding Musical

Northwood High School - Guys and Dolls

• Best Supporting Actress (Kate Absker)

Ravenscroft School - Oliver

• Featured Performer (Liam King)
• Scenic Design
• Lighting
• Supporting Actor (Michael Santos)
• Supporting Actress (Anna van Venrooy)
• Stage Crew and Technical Execution
• Leading Actress (Laura Higginson)

St. David's School - Fiddler on the Roof

• Outstanding Musical
• Featured Performer (Nathan Heath)
• Sound Design
• Scenic Design
• Lighting
• Costumes
• Musical Direction
• Supporting Actress (Katy Wilson)
• Supporting Actor (Zach Gregory)
• Stage Crew and Technical Execution
• Ensemble
• Choreography
• Direction
• Leading Actor (Ryan Fitzpatrick)
• Leading Actress (Petra Halbur)

Trinity Academy of Raleigh - Earnest in Love

• Sound Design
• Supporting Actress (Alexandra Oliver)
• Ensemble
• Direction
• Costumes
• Leading Actor (Jonathan Ridell)
• Leading Actress (Hannah Nelson)
• Outstanding Musical

West Johnston High School - Guys and Dolls

• Ensemble
• Choreography
• Leading Actor (Elgin Giles)
• Outstanding Musical
• Featured Performer (Kelsie Jayne)
• Costumes
• Musical Direction
• Orchestra
• Supporting Actor (Jordan Clifton)

Congrats to all nominees and participating schools! Tickets to the Capital Awards are only $12 and are on sale now by calling 919-831-6941 x6944. For more information, please visit www.nctheatre.com.

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

Back to High School

"High School" has been a resounding theme at NC Theatre this week with two BIG projects that directly engaged hundreds of students from across the Triangle. Cast members from our upcoming production of Disney's High School Musical 2 performed at Raleigh Fashion Week, Marbles Kids Museum and Artsplosure last weekend.  Their high-energy, crowd pleasing performance was directed and choreographed by our very own Ray Walker and Tito Hernandez - the beach ball throw at the end was a bit hit. Thanks to presenting sponsor Capital Bank for their support of this production.  

The Wildcats will perform again at North Hills this Saturday at 10:30am to spice up their weekly Farmer's Market!  Our 3rd annual Capital Awards, also sponsored by Capital Bank was a big success on Monday evening. We celebrated the outstanding achievements of over 300 students from six counties in NC with 16 awards handed out by celebrity presenters from Steve Daniels to Roy Dicks to Clay Aiken. Audiences were treated to fabulous performances and the spotlight shone brightly on high school musical theatre excellence. Thanks again to performing arts instructors, students, judges, presenters, sponsors, volunteers and audience members for supporting this important educational outreach program! Exciting new component is the National High School Musical Awards - Outstanding Actor and Actress will be heading to NY to train and perform with their peers from across the country!

Keeper of the Trophies

As Communications Manager I wear many hats. For the evening of the Capital Awards I wore 2 hats: 'keeper of the trophies' and 'envelope protector.' This job may seem relatively simple - all I am supposed to do is make sure all the trophies stay on the table and give each presenter their envelope with the recipient's name inside - but it is very stressful and somewhat complicated. What if I give the presenter the wrong envelope and they say the wrong name? In order to ensure that I was doing the right thing, Carly (our fabulous, new intern) and I double, triple and quadruple checked each envelope and guaranteed that every trophy was there. Before I handed the envelope to each presenter, I also made sure that it was the right one, which was hard to do since I was sitting back stage in the dark!

While this job was stressful, it was also fun! I got the opportunity to meet our wonderful presenters (Clay Aiken, Steve Daniels, Lynda Loveland, Roy Dicks, Dave Kent, Jon Clark, to name a few) and chat with them before they had their moment on stage. I was also seated where all the action happened - as each recipient walked off, they were so genuinely excited, grateful and were in shock that they had won a Capital Award! It was also a cool angle to watch each performance from the Outstanding Musical nominees - a view from the side as opposed to the front. 

Overall, I did the job I set out to do and had a fun night backstage! Can't wait for next year's event! 

Below are some pictures from the evening. Enjoy!

~Kristin Buie

Brian Williams, Ray Walker, Tito Hernandez, Lisa Grele Barrie and Capital Awards Emcee Donna Gregory hang out backstage

Students perform  "Eyes on the Goal" in the all-school finale

Grant Yarber, President & CEO of Capital Bank, and Clay Aiken backstage with two students from Ravenscroft School - Capital Award recipient of Outstanding Musical

Clay Aiken presents the award for Outstanding Musical

 Grant Yarber congratulates the Capital Award recipients for Outstanding Leading Actor & Actress - Rebecca Brinkley (Cedar Ridge High School) and Seth Johnson (Cary Academy) - both are going on to The Jimmy Awards in New York City!

Rebecca Brinkley from Cedar Ridge High School accepts the Capital Award for Outstanding Leading Actress for her role as Eva Peron in Evita

These leading ladies perform a medley, arranged by Michael Moricz and choreographed by Tito Hernandez

Musical Director Michael Moricz presents the award for Outstanding Musical Direction from the Orchestra pit

Cary Academy performs "The Epilogue" from Les Miserables, nominated for Outstanding Musical

Nominated for Outstanding Musical, Green Hope High School performs a selection from The Music Man, "Shipoopi" 

NCT Board President, Jack Finley, and Lisa Grele Barrie, NCT Executive Director

Photos by Raleigh Downtowner Magazine