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The KPA Bradley Awards

The KPA Bradley Awards

2025 KPA BRADLEY AWARDS NOMINEES

Behind the Scenes Excellence - Sponsored by Bradley Broecker

Alex Clarke / Costumes

Savannah Mack / Costumes

Luke Nobers / Props Lead

Clare O’Bryan / Stage Manager

Justine Ford Pitts / Tech Lead – Shifting Lead

Ballard High School, Louisville, KY - SHREK: THE MUSICAL

Emma Hockensmith / Choreographer

Reilly Ketterer / Assistant Director

Floyd Central High School, Floyds Knobs, IN - THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Charlotte Davis / Assistant Stage Manager and Costume Designer

Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, KY - THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Samantha McNichol / Costume Designer

John Hardin High School, Elizabethtown, KY - MAMMA MIA!

Penny Ferguson / Stage Manager

New Albany High School, New Albany, IN - CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION

Outstanding Student Designer-Sponsored by Think Tank Marketing

Savannah Mack, Costume Design

Ballard High School, Louisville, KY - SHREK: THE MUSICAL

Delaney Mullanix, Lighting Design

Bryan Station High School, Lexington, KY - SHREK: THE MUSICAL

Elinor Soult, Costume Design

Bryan Station High School, Lexington, KY - SHREK: THE MUSICAL

Charlotte Davis, Costume Design

Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, KY - THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Jansen Lewis, Set Design

Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, KY - THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Outstanding Technical Execution

McCracken County High School, Paducah, KY - BIG FISH

Mercer County Senior High School, Harrodsburg, KY - LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

New Albany High School, New Albany, IN - CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION

Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, KY - INTO THE WOODS

Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, KY - YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Cyrus Jaques as Mr. Krabs

Franklin County High School, Frankfort, KY - THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL

Sam Lynn as Don Price

McCracken County High School, Paducah, KY - BIG FISH

Landon Howard as Audrey II

Mercer County Senior High School, Harrodsburg, KY - LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Aneesh Nair as Kevin Gnapoor

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, KY - MEAN GIRLS: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION

Finnegan Broyles as Rapunzel’s Prince

Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, KY - INTO THE WOODS

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Elaina Norton as Rose

Daviess County High School, Owensboro, KY - THE SECRET GARDEN

Silvia Periago as Clarisse

Floyd Central High School, Floyds Knobs, IN - THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Lyvia McCutchen as Pearl Krabs

Franklin County High School, Frankfort, KY - THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL

Janeway Howard as Countess Ipolitov

Lafayette High School, Lexington, KY - ANASTASIA

Evie Robertson as Jenny Hill

McCracken County High School, Paducah, KY - BIG FISH

Outstanding Dance Execution

Franklin County High School, Frankfort, KY - THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL

McCracken County High School, Paducah, KY - BIG FISH

New Albany High School, New Albany, IN - CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION

Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, KY - INTO THE WOODS

Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, KY - YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!

Outstanding Arts Mentor-Sponsored by Bruce Merrick and Karen McCoy

Sarah Fain

Ballard High School, Louisville, KY - SHREK: THE MUSICAL

Phyllis Westfall

John Hardin High School, Elizabethtown, KY - MAMMA MIA!

Amanda Simmons

New Albany High School, New Albany, IN - CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION

Maddie Anderson

Randall K Cooper High School, Union, KY - INTO THE WOODS

Cayce Crowder-Abellard

Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, KY - YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!

Outstanding Community Engagement

Bryan Station High School, Lexington, KY - SHREK: THE MUSICAL

Floyd Central High School, Floyds Knobs, IN - THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Lafayette High School, Lexington, KY - ANASTASIA

Randall K Cooper High School, Union, KY - INTO THE WOODS

Outstanding Ensemble Performance-Sponsored by Frank and Paula Harshaw

Franklin County High School, Frankfort, KY - THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL

McCracken County High School, Paducah, KY - BIG FISH

New Albany High School, New Albany, IN - CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION

Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, KY - INTO THE WOODS

Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, KY - YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!

Best Actor in a Leading Role

John Brasher as Dickon

Daviess County High School, Owensboro, KY - THE SECRET GARDEN

Joey Webb as Squidward

Franklin County High School, Frankfort, KY - THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL

Carson Chesnut as Will Bloom

McCracken County High School, Paducah, KY - BIG FISH

Braydon Branam as Seymour

Mercer County Senior High School, Harrodsburg, KY - LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Jeremiah Stephens as Schroeder

Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, KY - YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Kelsie Thacker as Sandy Cheeks

Franklin County High School, Frankfort, KY - THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL

Abigail Scheer as Sandra Bloom

McCracken County High School, Paducah, KY - BIG FISH

Jenna Morrison as Velma Kelly

New Albany High School, New Albany, IN - CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION

Caylen Judd as Cinderella

Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, KY - INTO THE WOODS

Kennedy Julian as Sally Brown

Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, KY - YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!

Best Overall Musical Production-Sponsored by Michael E. Berry

Daviess County High School, Owensboro, KY - THE SECRET GARDEN

McCracken County High School, Paducah, KY - BIG FISH

New Albany High School, New Albany, IN - CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION

Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, KY - INTO THE WOODS

Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, KY - YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!

CLICK HERE to get your tickets to the June 1 Award Ceremony.

The Red Carpet Experience begins at 3:45PM. Suggested Attire: Self-Expression Formal

Awards begin at 5:00PM

CELEBRATING HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE

On June 1, 2025, Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA) will present the inaugural KPA Bradley Awards, an official Regional Awards Program of The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®), otherwise known as The Jimmy Awards®. With a goal of celebrating young artists and elevating the importance of theatre arts education, The KPA Bradley Awards will partner with high schools across Kentucky and Southern Indiana to adjudicate a musical production at each participating school, culminating in an awards ceremony at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts where awards in various categories will be provided to winning students, educators, and ensembles. Two students will be selected at the awards ceremony to represent the region at The Jimmy Awards in New York City, which includes a week of private coaching, master classes, and rehearsals with theatre professionals prior to participation in the national awards ceremony in a Broadway theater.

The KPA Bradley Awards are named in honor of Bradley Broecker, whose central role in bringing touring Broadway shows to Kentuckiana has made immeasurable impact on the region’s vibrancy. The Bradley Awards are presented by KPA in partnership with the Louisville Theatrical Association.

The KPA Bradley Awards seeks to build community amongst our region’s high school theatre programs, all of which are worthy of celebration for the value they bring to our youth and our communities.

SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE INAUGURAL KPA BRADLEY AWARDS

The KPA Bradley Awards will be held June 1, 2025 at The Kentucky Center in Louisville.

Bryan Station High School
Daviess County High School
Youth Performing Arts School (at duPont Manual High School)
Greenwood High School
John Hardin High School
Lafayette High School
Franklin County High School
McCracken County High School
Kentucky Country Day School
Randall K Cooper High School
Ballard High School
Floyd Central High School
Sacred Heart Academy/Sacred Heart School for the Arts
New Albany High School
Mercer County Senior High School
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

Public and private high schools in all Kentucky counties and in the following Indiana counties: Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Scott, and Washington. Only students enrolled in 9th through 12th grade at participating high schools are eligible to be considered for individual awards (i.e. Best Actor/Best Actress). Theatre programs of all budget sizes are encouraged to consider participation; The KPA Bradley Awards will seek to meet schools “where they are” and celebrate their achievements in context of their resources.

HOW WILL IT WORK?

The KPA Bradley Awards will send a team of three adjudicators to each participating high school to view a performance of their musical. Adjudicators for The KPA Bradley Awards are qualified performing arts educators, professionals, and experts from throughout the awards region. In addition to considering the production, cast, and crew for awards distributed at The KPA Bradley Awards final ceremony on June 1, 2025, the adjudicators provide constructive feedback to educators and students with a goal of celebrating their achievements and supporting students’ continued artistic growth.

All participating schools attend The KPA Bradley Awards final ceremony, which takes place in the 2,400 seat Whitney Hall in The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, located in Louisville, KY. Some schools are selected to perform an ensemble piece from their musical during the ceremony.

Based on feedback from adjudicators, schools and students will be nominated in various categories (similar to the Tony Awards®). Winners are announced for each category during the ceremony. Categories for The KPA Bradley Awards include:

Behind The Scenes Excellence

Outstanding Community Engagement (i.e. fundraising for charity, raising awareness of an important issue, etc.)

Outstanding Student Designer

Outstanding Arts Mentor

Outstanding Technical Execution

Outstanding Dance Execution

Outstanding Ensemble Performance

Best Actor in a Supporting Role*

Best Actress in a Supporting Role*

Best Actor in a Leading Role*

Best Actress in a Leading Role*

Best Overall Musical Production

*Students are adjudicated in the category corresponding to their gender identification, not the gender of the role that they play. Students identifying as non-binary or gender-fluid may choose to either select the category in which they wish to be adjudicated (regardless of the gender of the role) or they may be adjudicated based on the gender of the role they play.

The winners in the Best Actor/Actress in a Leading Role categories receive an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to participate in the national Jimmy Awards (which includes a week of masterclasses, as well as the awards ceremony where they will be considered alongside other young artists from across the country).

TIMELINE OVERVIEW

(dates are tentative and subject to change)

January - May 2025: Adjudicators attend each participating school’s musicals; written feedback provided later in season.

Early May 2025: Nominees announced for each category in The KPA Bradley Awards.

June 1, 2025: The KPA Bradley Awards ceremony in Louisville, KY at The Kentucky Center’s Whitney Hall. Featuring performances by schools nominated for Best Overall Production, and each nominee for Best Actor/Actress. Award winners in all categories announced.

Late June 2025: The winners in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories participate in The Jimmy Awards in New York City.

VALUES AND BELONGING

The KPA Bradley Awards believes every young artist has value and potential, and every participating student and educator should contribute to an environment that is empowering, educational, exciting, and welcoming to all. While there is a competitive element to any awards ceremony, all participants should be treated with dignity and respect, and in turn should treat others with dignity and respect. The Bradley Awards seeks to build community amongst our region’s high school theatre programs, all of which are worthy of celebration for the value they bring to our youth and our communities.

STAY CONNECTED

Please monitor our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

JOIN THE KPA BRADLEYS TEAM

The KPA Bradley Awards is seeking candidates for the following positions/roles:

Call for Adjudicators

We seek qualified theatre professionals interested in supporting the growth of young artists by serving as adjudicators for the awards program. Click here to learn more and apply.