Mark Frohna
Memorial’s Brian Luo at the 2014 awards.
Devotees of Glee experiencing withdrawal since the series ended in March can get a fix of showbiz teen spirit at the Tommy Awards.
The annual event, which takes place on June 7 at Overture Hall, features individual performers and selections from high school musicals chosen by a team of reviewers from more than 60 productions in southern Wisconsin.
Tim Sauers, Overture’s vice president of programming and community engagement, hosts the annual awards show, which was named for Wisconsin-born Broadway actor and singer Tom Wopat. Sauers says the three-and-a-half-hour show always sells out: “I’m still amazed at the kind of talent we see.”
But it’s not just fans of Broadway musicals who benefit from the Tommy Awards; the performers get professional advice in the process. Sauers launched the Tommys six years ago after he saw a similar show Minnesota, but he added an educational component: A team of three theater professionals watch and provide written critiques of the singing, acting, direction and design of each production. That model has been reproduced in Omaha, Des Moines and Orlando.
Alex Roller, a senior at Verona High School and two-time winner, says he finds the feedback important for his development as a performer. “Sometimes you get caught up in your own head,” he says. “[The review] tempers that and helps you improve.”
Roller was nominated this year as “Outstanding Lead Performer” for his dual role as John the Baptist and Judas in Godspell. Next year, he will pursue a drama degree at the New School in New York City.
Middleton High School junior Kailey Boyle, whose role in Pippin also landed her a nod for “Outstanding Lead Performer,” says the Tommy Awards have given her confidence to follow her dream of a career in theater. “Being nominated means someone felt the energy I created. I feel like I succeeded.”
