The auditorium was full of excitement as a small group of cast members (seniors and leads who weren’t also taking the AP exam at the time) gathered with the production team staff to watch Pittsburgh Today Live and the announcement of the Pittsburgh CLO Gene Kelly Awards for High School Musical Theater nominations. The screams of delight could be heard throughout the halls as OLSH was the first nomination for Best Musical (Budget Category 1) announced!

The excitement continued to build as the full list of nominations were released - and OLSH was nominated for an additional seven awards! This is the greatest number of nominations OLSH has received in a single year.

OLSH was nominated for:

Best Scenic Design (Budget Category 1)

Best Costume Design (Budget Category 1)

Best Lighting Design (Budget Category 1)

Best Vocal Ensemble (Budget Category 1)

Best Dance Ensemble (Budget Category 1)

Best Musical (Budget Category 1)

Outstanding Student Artist - Sophie Feldhues ‘24, Dance Captain

Best Supporting Actor - Leo Matthews ‘25, Jud Fry

The Gene Kelly Awards began in 1991 to recognize student achievement and highlight the value of musical theater and arts education. This year 33 schools from across Allegheny County participated in the Awards program. Best Musical nominees will perform a number from their show at the Gene Kelly Awards ceremony on May 25 at the Benedum Center. Congratulations to the OLSH Theatre students and production team on these exciting nominations!