Lutheran West Drama Earns Two Dazzle Awards
May 23, 2024
The 2024 Playhouse Square Dazzle Awards presented by Pat and John Chapman, held on Saturday, May 18th, resulted in the first Dazzle Award wins for Lutheran West: Best Technical Execution and Best Musical (Tier 1) for spring musical “Curtains!”.
The Dazzle Awards program honors excellence in high school musical theatre and recognizes the importance of performing arts in education throughout our Northeast Ohio communities. The program offers arts education opportunities throughout the school year, including master classes, workshops, and more. The culmination each spring is the Dazzle Awards at Playhouse Square (modeled after the Tony Awards), an awards ceremony which recognizes excellence in musical theatre productions and individual performances for the school year. An independent panel of adjudicators attends spring productions at participating schools and provides ratings in 12 categories.
“The Lutheran West drama program challenges and pushes students to understand the value of hard work, dedication, and the meaning of excellence in the arts while using their God-given talents to their maximum potential. It was incredible to see that be recognized on such a large platform.” commented the director of the production, Adam Zehnder ‘08.
This year Lutheran West earned a school record 7 Dazzle Award nominations for their spring musical “Curtains!”: Best Technical Execution, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Choreography Execution, Best Ensemble/Chorus, Best Supporting Actor (Rafael Alarcon playing Bobby Pepper), and Best Musical (Tier 1 – budget less than $13,000). This year’s Dazzle Awards included a record 37 participating schools in Cuyahoga, Geagua, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit counties.
Director Caroline Pangrace says, “Our students set incredible goals for this year, and winning these awards is the culmination of years of work. Thank you to the students, volunteers, families, and staff who have helped our drama program evolve to this level. Seeing our students perform on the State Theatre stage and hearing our school announced twice as winners is something everyone involved will never forget. Thank you to Playhouse Square, the Dazzle Awards and Pat and John Chapman for all that they do to shine a light on high school performing arts in the Northeast Ohio communities. Their efforts to recognize, encourage, and lift up students in theatre arts are extraordinary!”
Lutheran West would like to congratulate and thank everyone involved in “Curtains!” They are an incredible group, and the time and dedication given to this show paid off.
Looking to next season, Lutheran West Drama will be presenting the popular slapstick comedy, ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ (High School Edition) November 22-24. Stay tuned for the announcement of Lutheran West Drama’s 2025 spring musical!
Learn more about the Dazzle Awards at playhousesquare.org/dazzleawards.