After three housefull showings of “Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” the cast of Cinderella performed on the Hobby Center stage for the Tommy Tune Awards on March 28.
“The Tommy Tune Awards (TTA) Program celebrates the educational value, artistry and community of high school musical theatre in the Greater Houston Area,” Visual and Performing Arts director Mr. Scott Lambert said.
The Upper School’s production of “Cinderella” was nominated for various awards, including best musical, director, choreographer, music director, ensemble, technical achievement, singer and several student scholarships for musical theatre.
After long hours of precisely placing lights, memorizing cues, cleaning up confetti and organizing the show, senior Ryan Hay and the Kinkaid tech crew won best technical achievement.
Senior and male lead Ben Evans noted their hard work paying off.
“Every tech theatre kid and everyone on the creative team did their job incredibly and it resulted in a fantastic show,” Evans said.
Music director Mr. Charles Harrison and student director Alexandra King accepted the award for best music.
“Honestly, I’m stunned and I can’t believe that I’ve won a Tommy Tune award my first year at Kinkaid,” Mr. Harrison said.
Shortly after those announcements, Upper School dance teacher Mrs. Danyale Williams won best choreography; she created the choreography for the featured dancers and core cast in the ballroom scenes.
Although Mr. Harrison and Mrs. Williams both won individual awards for their achievements, they expressed much gratitude for the whole cast.
“I am excited to have won an award for Outstanding Choreography, but it must be shared with the entire company because it was you all who brought the movement to life and I am truly proud,” Mrs. Williams said.
Arguably the most memorable award of the evening for Kinkaid was winning outstanding musical for Tier 2 schools. Kinkaid qualifies as a Tier 2 school because of the high budget it allotts for the arts.
“The last time Kinkaid was nominated for Outstanding Musical was in 2015, so winning this year was super special,” Mr. Lambert said.
The cast worked hard to perform a classic musical that entertained audiences and impressed the judges.
“The music is timeless, recognizable and brilliantly written, so it is able to connect with audiences of all ages,” Mr. Harrison added.
All aspects of the show this year allowed for Kinkaid to win the most awards it has ever won in the 20 years Tommy Tune Awards have existed.
“I really think part of the huge success of Cinderella came from the fact that our ensemble was so good,” Mr. Lambert said. “We gave our audiences much needed optimism, joy, and escape. That’s what counts.”
