8/23/2023
Education and Outreach
Bruce Ewing still remembers feeling uplifted as he watched a performance of musical “In the Heights” at a Southern Nevada high school.
“I counted at least 40 to 50 kids in one dance number, and they were great,” recalls Ewing, who has starred in several Broadway national tours. “They just connected to the material. You could see they were so happy, doing a show that spoke to them.”
This kind of experience has become more frequent for Ewing, since becoming an adjudicator for The Smith Center’s Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards.
As a nonprofit, the center presents this annual awards event to honor the state’s top theater students, both those who perform on stage and those behind-the-scenes.
To celebrate all theater skills, the center awards top high school productions in 14 different categories, honoring outstanding direction, student orchestra, costume design, lighting design and more.
“Every role is crucial to the success of a performance,” says Melanie Jupp, director of Education and Outreach at The Smith Center. “The tremendous amount of work that goes into high school theater programs deserves to be acknowledged.”
But the winners of these award categories don’t get chosen overnight.
They are selected through a thorough adjudication process, during which The Smith Center’s team of 30 adjudicators – all hailing from impressive theater backgrounds – attend and evaluate high school productions across Nevada.
This effort proves worthwhile, Jupp says, to recognize talented Nevada students who might even pursue theater careers.
“There is no shortage of talent among the students and educators throughout the state of Nevada,” Jupp says. “We want to encourage students toward continued learning and growth in these career areas.”
Evaluating Shows Statewide
The adjudication process is carefully designed to ensure a fair evaluation of each school’s hardworking students, Jupp says.
The Smith Center schedules its adjudicators to attend and evaluate dozens of high school productions each year across the state, which occurs from November through April.
With each adjudicator viewing three different productions — all volunteering their time — they then complete a detailed, online rubric assessing each show’s impressive elements.
Thanks to consulting with theater-education expert Jennifer Hemme, Jupp notes, the center has honed its assessment approach to align with theater competitions nationwide.
“Creating an online system for adjudicators to submit their scores and comments while attending a show, or immediately afterward, was a gamechanger,” Jupp says.
The center has no trouble increasing its roster of adjudicators each year, she adds.
“There is a wealth of theater performers in Las Vegas who are passionate about supporting the next generation of theater performers and technicians,” she says.
Top Entertainers as Adjudicators
Ewing jumped at the chance to become an adjudicator for just that reason, he says.
“I grew up outside New York City, and I was really blessed with Broadway performers coming to our schools,” says Ewing, who also starred in “Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular.” “So you just pay it forward.”
Many of the high school shows he evaluates amaze him, he says, whether with athletic tap numbers, the use of digital screens or simply a sincere effort on stage.
“There is so much love and enthusiasm and natural passion,” he says.
Assessing all facets of a show comes naturally for adjudicator Mychael Powell, who hails from a 30-year career of both performing and working as a director, choreographer and more.
“Since I have decades of experience in the theater, I am the one in the audience checking out every aspect of the performance,” says Powell, who also works at The Smith Center as group sales manager. “I can appreciate the hidden talents of those creating the magic backstage to enhance the performance.”
Powell considers the adjudication process vital, he adds, to help celebrate all the students who devote their time and skill to live theater.
“Appreciating these talented students showcasing their craft, while they continue to finesse their skills, is priceless,” he says.
LEARN MORE
To learn more about The Smith Center’s annual Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards, CLICK HERE.