The eleventh annual Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Blumey Awards culminated Sunday, May 26, at a gala award celebration where winners in 15 categories were announced and nominees for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Bank of America Best Musical performed live on stage at the Belk Theater. The Blumey Awards are presented by Bank of America.

Congratulations to Central Cabarrus High School for winning the Tier 1 Bank of America Best Musical Award for its production of Pippin. Central Cabarrus Theatre is directed by Drew Coley.

Blumenthal Arts President and CEO Tom Gabbard said, “The Blumey Awards is one of the most special nights in Charlotte each year. We are thrilled for all of the students, teachers, parents, and supporters—and we congratulate all participants on their major achievements.”

2024 Blumey Award winners:

• Bank of America Best Musical – Tier 1
  • Central Cabarrus High School – Pippin
• Bank of America Best Musical – Tier 2
  • Central Academy of Technology and Arts – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
• Best Actor
  • A.L. Brown High School – Rylan Lowe as Shakespeare – Something Rotten!
• Best Actress
  • Concord Academy – Lainey Gaston as Narrator – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
• Best Supporting Actor
  • Carmel Christian School – Caeden Moore as Vlad – Anastasia
• Best Supporting Actress
  • Central Academy of Technology and Arts – Haley Ciaramella as Sonya Rostova – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
• Best Featured Performer
  • Weddington High School – Callum Bridgers as Escapologist/Doctor – Matilda the Musical
• Best Overall Direction
  • Central Academy of Technology and Arts – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
• Best Ensemble/Chorus
  • Concord Academy – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
• Best Choreography Execution
  • Central Academy of Technology and Arts – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
• Best Student Orchestra
  • Central Academy of Technology and Arts – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
• Best Student Costume Designer
  • Central Academy of Technology and Arts – Madison McLeod – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
• Best Student Set Designer
  • Concord Academy – Nate Fisher – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
• Best Student Stage Manager
  • Hopewell High School – Chloe Carper – Cinderella (Concord Broadway)
• Best Student Reporter
  • Central Academy of Technology & Arts – Brody Martin

The gala celebration was a highlight of the competition, which started in January when local schools began presenting their annual musical theater productions. Each school’s musical was viewed and evaluated by a panel of three judges, who awarded points according to detailed guidelines. 

The Blumey Awards is produced by Blumenthal Arts and is presented by Bank of America. The Doctor Family Foundation, Peg and Jay Adamczyk, and The Leon Levine Foundation provide additional  support, as well as PAGE Power Systems for sponsoring Best Student Set Designer and Wells Fargo for sponsoring Best Ensemble/Chorus. Charlotte joins more than 50 other cities, including Pittsburgh, Houston, and Atlanta, in hosting annual high school musical theater awards programs.

Like the Tony Awards®, The Blumey Awards Ceremony features a performance by each of the six nominated schools in the best musical category, a medley of performances by the six nominees for Best Actor and for Best Actress, and an opening and closing number that features two students from each of the 50 participating schools.

The New York–based creative team included Broadway composer and Grammy-nominated orchestrator David Dabbon (Broadway’s Beetlejuice, Funny Girl, Disaster!, and others), as conductor, music director, and arranger, and Reagan Casteel (Broadway’s Once Upon a One More Time, Dancin’) as music director and arranger. Director and choreographer Deirdre Goodwin (Broadway’s A Chorus Line, Chicago) choreographed the event.