Download Overture Center, Marcus Center Partner to Expand Tommy Awards

News Release
For immediate release: Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Media Contact: Robert Chappell, 608.258.4438 or 608.334.7829
Molly Sommerhalder, 414-273-7121 ext. 399
Overture Center, Marcus Center Partner to Expand
Tommy Awards
2014/15 Awards to Include Milwaukee, Other Southeast Wisconsin Schools
Overture Center for the Arts and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts today announced they
would partner to expand the geographical reach of Overture’s Tommy Awards program,
allowing schools from Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine Counties to participate.
Now in its sixth year, Overture’s Tommy Awards recognizes excellence in local high school
musical theater. During the 2013/14 school year, a panel of theater professionals and educators
reviewed 66 performances throughout South Central Wisconsin, providing detailed feedback to
the performers and directors. More than 300 awards were given in a number of performance
and production categories, and the recipients honored at a gala performance in June.
Previously, the program has been limited to schools within 75 miles of Overture Center in
downtown Madison. The new partnership will allow the reach to expand to 100 miles,
encompassing all of Milwaukee County as well as other areas in Southeast Wisconsin.
“This is our fastest-growing program by far,” said Tim Sauers, vice president of programming at
Overture Center. “We went from 24 productions to 66 in just five years, including literally
thousands of students. Imagine how many more thousands of young performers we can reach
with this new partnership. It’s been just amazing to see the level of talent in our area, and I’m
really excited to see the up and coming performers in the Milwaukee area.”
“We’re excited to enter into this partnership with Overture to bring the Tommy Awards to
Milwaukee,” said Heidi Lofy, vice president of sales and marketing for Marcus Center. “Nurturing
young performers has benefits on so many levels, to them, their education, their confidence,
their future as creative professionals in any field. High schools all around Milwaukee have been
looking for something like this, and we are thrilled to be able to offer it this year.”
The 2014/15 award ceremony and performance will take place on Sunday, June 7, 2015 at
Overture Center. All Outstanding Lead Performance award recipients will be eligible to audition
for the National High School Musical Theater Awards in May. The NHSMTA, also known as The
Jimmys, is a weeklong intensive workshop and competition in New York City in July. Overture’s
Tommy Awards has sent six students to the Jimmys over the last three years, and two have
been named national finalists.
Overture’s Tommy Awards are named in honor of local musical theater hero Tom Wopat,
critically acclaimed and Tony Award-nominated singer and actor. Born in Lodi, Wisconsin,
Wopat first started singing and dancing in high school musicals, and studied music at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison before getting his "big break" in 1978 as Luke Duke in the
immensely popular Dukes of Hazzard television show. He even directed several episodes
during the show's six-year run.
More information is available at http://www.overturecenter.org/programs/tommy-awards.
About Overture Center for the Arts
Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin features seven state-of-the-art performance
spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident
companies, and hundreds of local artists engage nearly half a million people in educational and
artistic experiences each year.
About Marcus Center for the Performing Arts
Marcus Center for the Performing Arts is owned and partially funded by Milwaukee County.
Marcus Center has been the premier entertainment destination for Milwaukee and Wisconsin
since 1969. It provides the setting for outstanding cultural experiences, where the arts come to
life for current and future generations. Located in the heart of the Downtown Theater District,
Marcus Center is a community facility that offers live performance of opera, ballet, children’s
theater, symphony and first-class national touring productions. For more information on BMO
Harris Bank Broadway at the Marcus Center Series, Marcus Center Presents Series, and Off
Broadway Series visit the Marcus Center website at www.MarcusCenter.org.