Carver High’s ‘In The Heights’ Earns 10 Tommy Tune Award Nominations

Carver High School’s Theater Department is elated by the nominations announced today for the [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Tommy Tune Awards. The school’s spring production of [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]In The Heights earned 10 Tommy Tune nominations. Congratulations to all of the nominees and to all the students for giving outstanding performances in the musical In The Heights.

Carver High is among the 45 Houston area high schools competing in the 12th annual Tommy Tune Awards.

Formed in 2003 by Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), the Tommy Tune Awards have become the largest celebration of high school musical theater in Houston. The annual awards ceremony recognizes excellence by students and teachers throughout the nine-county metropolitan area. Houston-area high school productions were reviewed and evaluated, leading to the nominations in 15 categories.

Carver High’s production of In The Heights earned the following nominations:

Best Musical
Best Direction
Best Choreography
Best Musical Direction
Best Orchestra
Best Scenic Design
Best Ensemble/Chorus
Best Actor — Nyles Washington as Usnavi
Best Supporting Actor — Kristopher Adams as Sonny
Best Supporting Actress — Amber Nicole Scott as Daniela

The Tommy Tune Awards will be held on April 16 at the Hobby Center and will be featured on ABC Channel 13 later that month. Tickets for the 2014 Tommy Tune Awards will go on sale to the general public on [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]April 2.

At the Tommy Tune Awards Ceremony, the Best Musical school nominees will perform a scene from their production. The Best Actor/Actress nominees will perform a melody with all the other nominees in their respective category. Additionally, two Carver High drama students — Isaiah Rusk and Stephanie García — have been selected to perform in the closing number of the awards ceremony.

The theater production team for In The Heights included Roshunda Jones, theater director at Carver High; Jabari Collins, technical director and choreographer; Kiana Day, musical director; Tamara Fleming, production assistant; Juan Polanco, vocal director, as well as choreographers Selina Baynard, and Sarita Salinas.

“This is Carver’s seventh year participating in the Tommy Tune Awards,” said Jones. “The program at Carver has come a long way from our first entry where we earned one Tommy Tune Award nomination. The students were over the moon with that one nomination. So with 12 nominations last year for ‘The Color Purple’ and now 10 for ‘In The Heights,’ the students are just beaming with pride.”

Jones also thanked Houston Academy and Drew Academy students as well as members from the Aldine Dance Company who were a part of the ensemble.

Usnavi, played by Nyles Washington, and members from the ensemble cast in a scene from “In The Heights.”

Grafitti Pete and Sonny, played by Joshua Austin and Kristopher Adams, and members from the ensemble cast in a scene from the musical “In The Heights.”

Daniela Amber Nicole and the ensemble cast in a scene from “In The Heights.”

Radio Man, played by Isaiah Rusk, in a Carver High’s “In The Heights” production.

Entire cast of “In The Heights” production.