Knoch student wins Mancini Award
MIDLAND — Presenting virtually for the first time in 27 years, the Henry Mancini Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre celebrated the musical theatre programs in 18 schools across Butler, Beaver, Lawrence and Mercer counties on Saturday evening.
During the broadcast, Abigail McAuley from Knoch High School and Devin McDonald from Beaver Falls High School were honored with the Best Actress and Best Actor awards.
A program of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center since 2014, the Mancini Awards were canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In lieu of the traditional award format, this year’s awards focused on showcasing the hard work and dedication of area high school musical theatre programs, with the Best Actor and Best Actress awards being the only ones presented. The nominees’ traditional medleys were pre-recorded at Lincoln Park and included in the broadcast.
Under the sponsorship of the Pittsburgh CLO for the fourth year, the Mancini Awards are part of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmy Awards).
Presented by the Broadway League Foundation, the program has, in past years, invited two nominees to New York City to participate in a theatre intensive including coaching and rehearsals with Broadway professionals in preparation for a one-night-only talent showcase on a Broadway stage. The 12th Jimmy Awards will be presented July 15.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 health concerns, this year’s Jimmy Awards will be virtual.
Additionally, McAuley and McDonald received the Phil Inman Best Actress and Best Actor Award Scholarship. Mr. Inman was a music teacher and director at Rochester High School for 32 years, where he was the first in the region to direct musicals at a high-school level. This scholarship awarded each student $1,000 to be used to pursue an education and career in the arts.
