Shea's Performing Arts Center accepting applications for 30th Annual Kenny Awards

Shea’s Performing Arts Center announced it is accepting applications for the 2023 Kenny Awards, which will be held at Shea's Buffalo Theatre at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 27, 2023.

A press release stated, “The Kenny Awards, presented by Shea’s Performing Arts Center and The Lipke Foundation, and now in its 30th year, celebrates excellence in high school musical theater in Western New York. The Lipke Foundation will provide a $10,000 grant to the theater program that receives the award for Outstanding Musical Production.”

Applications are available at sheas.org, in addition to being sent to schools throughout Western New York. Completed applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Ten finalist schools will be selected to participate in the 2023 Kenny Awards.

Finalists are eligible for the following award categories: Outstanding Musical Production, Outstanding Orchestral Performance, Outstanding Technical Design, Outstanding Choral Performance, Outstanding Scenic Design, Outstanding Dramatic Performance, Outstanding Costume Design, Outstanding Dance Performance, The Showstopper Award, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble, The Blossom Cohan Award, Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role, Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role, Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role, and Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role. The 2022 Outstanding Musical Production Award recipient was Lancaster High School for its production of “Catch Me If You Can.”

Recipients of the Outstanding Leading Actress and Actor awards will travel to New York City to participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmy Awards), produced by the Broadway League Foundation at the Minskoff Theatre. Lizzie Hopkins of Barker High School (“Little Women the Musical”) and Ryan Butler of Starpoint High School (“Newsies: The Broadway Musical”) represented Western New York at the 2022 Jimmy Awards.

The press release added, “Shea’s Performing Arts Center’s department of arts engagement and education seeks to provide opportunities for everyone in Western New York to experience arts engagement (community-building through shared arts experiences), arts integration (connecting art forms to educational objectives in a structured learning environment), and arts education (learning the principles of the artistic process).”

Shea’s Performing Arts Center is located at 646 Main St., Buffalo.