Casa Mañana Announces the Nominees for the 2020 Betty Lynn Buckley Awards

Casa Mañana is excited to announce the nominations for the 2020 Betty Lynn Buckley Awards. Winners will be announced online via livestream on Casa’s Facebook and YouTube channel, Thursday, May 21, 2020, at 7:30pm. Director of Theatre for Youth and local legend B.J. Cleveland will host. Specials guests from Broadway and beyond will present awards.

Named after Fort Worth’s own Tony® Award winning Best Actress, Fort Worth Independent School District and Casa Mañana alumnae Betty Lynn Buckley, this exciting program has stood to promote and celebrate excellence in high school theatre since 2000. Participation is open to Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Johnson and Tarrant County. Thirty-three schools presenting fifty-seven musicals and plays participated this year, the highest since the program started.

A panel of distinguished judges – comprised of local theatre professionals and educators – votes for a winner in each of 14 award categories: Best Musical, Best Male and Female Actor in a Musical, Best Male and Female Supporting Actor in a Musical, Excellence in Choreography, Excellence in Scenic Design, Excellence in Sound Design, Excellence in Lighting Design, Excellence in Costume Design, Best Student Orchestra, Best Play and Best Male and Female Actor in a Play. Categories are only open for student designers and artists. Awards include a scholarship provided by generous donors who recognize the benefits of this program and the impact musical theatre has on the lives of students.

Nominees are as follows:

Best Male Actor in a Play

David Postlewate, Eugene, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts

Kevin Le, Luigi, The Explorer’s Club, Haltom High School

Brit Cooper, Christopher, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Lamar High School

Harrison Ashpaugh, Ralph, Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Joe Skipper, Will Shakespeare, Shakespeare in Love, Northwest High School

Justin Eggert, Iago, Othello, V.R. Eaton High School

Best Female Actor in a Play

Emma Dixon, Emily Webb, Our Town, Birdville High School

Claire Guthrie, Mrs. Ethel Savage, The Curious Savage, Fort Worth Country Day School

Lauren Meece, Henrietta Leavitt, Silent Sky, Prestonwood Christian Academy

Natalie Morter, Laundress 2/Narrator/Q, Metamorphoses, Richland High School

Chloe Williams, Detective Fix, Around the World in 80 Days, Timberview High School

Ellery Campbell, Desdemona, Othello, V. R. Eaton High School

Best Male Supporting Actor in a Musical

William D. Thompson, Ghost of Present, A Christmas Carol, Grapevine High School

Jordan Frank, Michael Hobbs, Elf the Musical, Guyer High School

Steven Nguyen, Oliver, Theory of Relativity, Richland High School

Grayson Stephens, Earthworm, James and the Giant Peach, The Oakridge School

Will Emmert, Grasshopper, James and the Giant Peach, The Oakridge School

Austin Bandy, Triton, The Little Mermaid, V. R. Eaton High School

Best Female Supporting Actor in a Musical

Haley Dortch, Sibella Hallworth, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Grace Duncan, Jovie, Elf the Musical, Guyer High School

Kiersten Farris, Phoebe, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Gracie Miller, Mary Patrick, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Gabby Purdy, Martha Watson, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Alexis Martinez, Amy, Theory of Relativity, Richland High School

Best Male Actor in a Musical

Parker Jackson, D’ysquith Family, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Travis Barton, Buddy, Elf the Musical, Guyer High School

Garrick Hague, Cat in the Hat, Seussical, Legacy High School

Gabriel Hill, Sebastian, The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Joshua Sneed, Phil Davis, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Hunter Hall, Jesus, Godspell, Prestonwood Christian Academy

Best Female Actor in a Musical

Michelle D’Amico, Amelie, Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

Madelyn Whitehead, Mary Robert, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Aria Tolbert, Deloris, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Rebekah Hollingsworth, Ariel, The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Audrey Burnett, Judy Haynes, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Janessa Witlock, Ursula, The Little Mermaid, V. R. Eaton High School

Excellence in Costume Design

Alison Fuentes, Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Play, Grand Prairie High School

Kennedy Mclaggan, Natalie Keller, Emily Sather, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Nicolas Sears, Josephine Tukia, Dracula, L.D. Bell High School

Hannah Cherry, The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Caroline Demby, Riley Rawlinson, Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Ella Jackson, Maggie LeMasters, The Little Mermaid, V. R. Eaton High School

Excellence in Scenic Design

Maddie Rasco, Into the Woods, Aledo High School

Peyton Lawrence, Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

Daylon Barker, Drew Wilder, Brendan Sullenberger, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Natalie Nohinek, Derek Cheung, Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Melinda Pena, James Bergquist, Brandon Isom, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Ethan Biedenstein, Jenelle Cumberland, The Little Mermaid, V. R. Eaton High School

Excellence in Sound Design

Patrick Markovich, Taylor Kerzman, Moon Over Buffalo, All Saints’ Episcopal School

Josh Daugherty, The Tempest, Byron Nelson High School

Chris Lopez, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Jaidyn Vineyard, Dracula, L.D. Bell High School

Brooklyn Lankford, Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Alicia Johnson, You Can’t Take it with You, Nolan Catholic High School

Excellence in Lighting Design

Nick Bright, Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

Coal Sapp, Dracula, L.D. Bell High School

Hana Baldwin, Mackenzie Pickett, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Christian Chandler, Metamorphoses, Richland High School

Jaden Banks, James and the Giant Peach, The Oakridge School

Alex Kougias, Hallie Fraze, Matti Andrews, The Little Mermaid, V.R. Eaton High School

Excellence in Choreography

Emma Dixon, Curtains, Birdville High School

Aria Marissa Nobles, Gracie Jillian King, Bella Renee Barker, Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Abby Ewing, Liv Woolsey, Seussical, Legacy High School

Zoe McKee, The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Andrea Atienza, Annabelle Hough, The Music Man, Nolan Catholic High School

Audrey Burnett, Baylie Staton, Madison Luckey, White Christmas, Northwest High School

Best Student Orchestra

Curtains, Birdville High School

Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

A Christmas Carol, Grapevine High School

The Little Mermaid, Mansfield High School

Best Play

Our Town, Birdville High School

Brighton Beach Memoirs, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts

Lord of the Flies, Martin High School

Silent Sky, Prestonwood Christian Academy

Metamorphoses, Richland High School

Othello, V.R. Eaton High School

Best Musical

Amelie, Carroll Senior High School

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Guyer High School

Sister Act, Keller Central High School

Seussical, Legacy High School

White Christmas, Northwest High School

The Little Mermaid, V.R. Eaton High School

For more information about the Twentieth Annual Betty Lynn Buckley Awards, visit www.casamanana.org/education/buckley-awards. Stay tuned to www.casamanana.org for all up-to-date information on the Buckleys.