TUTS Names Carver High School Theater a Finalist in Numerous Tommy Tune Categories for ‘The Bodyguard the Musical’

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The winners will be announced later this month at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

Theater Under the Stars (TUTS) recently announced the 2024 Tommy Tune Awards nominations. Theater members of Carver High School for Engineering, Applied Technology, and the Arts are thrilled. The school’s spring production of The Bodyguard the Musical received numerous nominations and has been named a finalist in several categories.

The Tommy Tune Awards Program celebrates the educational value, artistry, and community of high school musical theater in the Greater Houston area. After evaluating the 48 participating Houston-area high school productions during the 2023-2024 school year, a team of Houston-based theater professionals nominated students in 17 award categories.

Under the direction of Roshunda Jones-Koumba and Jabari Collins, the Carver HS theater began to compete in the Tommy Tune Awards program in 2008. To date, Carver has earned over 130 nominations. This is the Carver’s eighth time being named an Outstanding Musical finalist. Carver is a Choice School in AISD. Click here to read the list of all the finalists.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the 20th Tommy Tune Awards. We can’t wait to come together and celebrate this program that has given so many students the opportunity to share their creative accomplishments with the Greater Houston community,” said Jacob Shideler, TUTS Director of Education.

Tommy Tune Awards Ceremony

Theatre Under The Stars’ (TUTS) 2024 Tommy Tune Awards will be held Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets for the event will go on sale to the public March 11, and will be available for purchase through TUTS.com, by phone at (713) 558-8887 or by visiting the TUTS Box Office at 800 Bagby.

“We are ecstatic to have the Tommy Tune Awards back in person this year after such a long time away,” said Jacob Shideler, TUTS Interim Director of Education. “The Tommy Tune Awards allows these passionate students to share their creative accomplishments with the Greater Houston community.”

Carver HS Nominations for The Bodyguard the Musical:

Production Nominations

• Outstanding Musical
• Outstanding Ensemble
• Outstanding Orchestra
• Outstanding Technical Achievement

Individual Nominations

• Outstanding Lead: Alyssa Dorsey as Rachel Marron
• Outstanding Supporting: Ivan Davidson as Frank Farmer, Isaac Smith as Fletcher, and Takera Swain as Nicki Marron
• Outstanding Singer: Alyssa Dorsey and Takera Swain
• Outstanding Dancer: Faith Bumper, Giovani González, Cameron Lettries (principal dancers)
• Outstanding Actor: Alyssa Dorsey and Ivan Davidson
• Outstanding Director: Roshunda Jones-Koumba, Camron Lettries, and Tatiana Smith
• Outstanding Music Director: Pamela Dickinson
• Outstanding Choreographer: Faith Bumper, Denzel Taylor, Brianna McCray Holmes, and Kyndal Hutto 
• Outstanding Lighting Designer: Emani Caston and Isabella Escobar
• Outstanding Sound Designer: Niya Kelly and Za’Riah Tatum
• Outstanding Scenic Designer: Jabari Collins and Desmond Hampton
• Outstanding Costume Designer: Bailey Day, Cora Frazier, and Rin Watson
• Outstanding Stage Manager: Emani Caston, Niya Kelly, and Tatiana Smith
• Honorable Mention: Daniel Thomas as The Stalker

Carver HS Named a Finalist in the Following Categories for The Bodyguard the Musical:

Production

• Outstanding Musical
• Outstanding Ensemble
• Outstanding Technical Achievement

Individual

• Outstanding Choreographer Finalists: Faith Bumper, Brianna McCray Holmes, Kyndal Hutto and Denzel Taylor
• Outstanding Stage Management Finalists: Emani Caston, Niya Kelly, and Tatiana Smith
• Outstanding Lighting Design Finalist: Isabella Escobar
• Outstanding Lead Finalist: Alyssa Dorsey as Rachel Marron
• Outstanding Supporting Lead Finalists: Ivan Davidson as Frank Farmer and Takera Swain as Nikki Marron
• Outstanding Dancer Finalists: Camron Lettries and Giovanni Gonzales (principal dancers)

About the Tommy Tune Awards

Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, the adjudicating mentors evaluated each participating school’s show, focusing on each element of the production. The adjudicating mentors comprise a group of Houston-based theater professionals with backgrounds as performers, designers, directors, choreographers, and musicians; and with years of experience in arts education and administration.

Additionally, TUTS awards scholarships to graduating seniors who plan to pursue a career in the arts.

The Tommy Tune Awards offers an opportunity for students and educators to share their creative accomplishments while instilling in young people the value of engaging in the performing arts as a lifelong pursuit.

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (the Jimmy Awards®) celebrate outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance and elevating the importance of theater arts education in schools. Of the 28 Tommy Tune Award nominees for Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role, two will be selected via a rigorous audition process adjudicated by a panel of industry professionals, ultimately winning an opportunity to represent Houston and TUTS at the Jimmy AwardsⓇ. The Broadway League Foundation presents the Jimmy Awards.

The Awards’ Namesake

The Tommy Tune Awards are named for Broadway legend, and Lamar High School alum Tommy Tune. A performer, director, and choreographer with more than 50 years of stage experience, Tune received nine Tony Awards for his work in the following productions: Seesaw, My One and Only, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Nine, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies. He was also awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2003 by President Bush.