The Marquee Awards
Congratulations to our 2026 Marquee Awards Nominees!
You can also access the nomination video HERE!
Outstanding Scenic Design
Rylee Willson and Carter High School – Mamma Mia!, Carter High School
Lauren Thornton, Landry Beaver and Caroline Thornton– Peter Pan (1954 Broadway Version), Grace Christian Academy
Michael Lindsey and Heritage High School Construction Class – Footloose, Heritage High School
Willow Henegar – All Shook Up (School Edition), Northview Academy
Kylee Nations – Into the Woods, Swain County High School
Outstanding Scenic Artistry
Gracen Daniel - Legally Blonde The Musical, Bearden High School
Ava León, Layla Tobey, Evyn Mesa and Rue Clevenger - Bye Bye Birdie, Karns High School
Corrine Warren and Lucy Gray – Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella Enchanted Edition, Knoxville Catholic High School
Gabriella Claflin - Tuck Everlasting, Oak Ridge High School
Allie Glaspie - Anastasia, Seymour High School
Outstanding Prop Design
Kai Cullimore and Eden Banyas – The SpongeBob Musical, Hardin Valley Academy
Lauren Thornton, Julia Radford and Caroline Thornton – Peter Pan (1954 Broadway Version), Grace Christian Academy
Tiah Leyd and Maddie Pritchard – The SpongeBob Musical, Hardin Valley Academy
Outstanding Lighting Design
Ori Flint – Mamma Mia!, Carter High School
Elijah Eveland – Big Fish, South-Doyle High School
Ni-Luh Menaka – Into the Woods, Swain County High School
Outstanding Choreography Design
Lily Walsh, Anna Claire Brooks and Abigail Seaman – Peter Pan (1954 Broadway Version), Grace Christian Academy
Rebekah Wood and Bridget Garner – Footloose, Heritage High School
Brenleigh Hankins and Zoie James – Bye Bye Birdie, Karns High School
Lexi Brown – Disney’s High School Musical, Sevier County High School
Daniel Snoderly and Zoey Williams – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, William Blount High School
Outstanding Costume Design
Lexie Mabe and Sydney Rud – Footloose, Heritage High School
Lilly Abner, Stella Montgomery, Lauryn Eagin, Caroline Stanley – Bye Bye Birdie, Karns High School
Morgan Rickard and Bristol Jenkins – The Addams Family Musical, Powell High School
Charity Davis – Big Fish, South-Doyle High School
Emma Demonet and Kendal Brown – Into the Woods, Swain County High School
Outstanding Poster Design
Milena Painter, Taylor Haun, Abigayle Lundberg – Legally Blonde The Musical, Bearden High School
Student Reporter Nominees
Daniela Hernandez – Legally Blonde The Musical, Bearden High School
Lily McGuire – Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Clayton-Bradley Academy
Gabriella Conner – Footloose, Heritage High School
Charity Davis – Big Fish, South-Doyle High School
And our winners are:
Daniela Hernandez – Legally Blonde The Musical, Bearden High School
Charity Davis – Big Fish, South-Doyle High School
Outstanding Choreography Execution
Bearden High School, Legally Blonde The Musical
Christian Academy of Knoxville, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Concord Christian School, The Prince of Egypt
Oak Ridge High School, Tuck Everlasting
Seymour High School, Anastasia
Outstanding Ensemble
Bearden High School, Legally Blonde The Musical
Central High School, Hairspray
Oak Ridge High School, Tuck Everlasting
Seymour High School, Anastasia
West High School, All Shook Up (School Edition)
All-Star Cast Members
Asheville High School .................................................................. Jackson Schall
Asheville School ............................................................................ Nikki Marmann
Bearden High School ............................................................................ Chloe Ellis
Carter High School ................................................................. Trenton Tenbrook
Central High School ............................................................................ Holly Sharp
Christian Academy of Knoxville ...................................................... Addy Giles
Clayton-Bradley Academy ....................................................... Gabe Ioannides
Clinton High School ....................................................... Everett Terry
Concord Christian School ............................................................ Ariana Mason
Grace Christian Academy ........................................................... Landry Beaver
Hardin Valley Academy .................................................................. Jaylon Carey
Heritage High School .................................................................... Alcus Broxson
Karns High School ................................................................................. Evyn Mesa
Knoxville Catholic High School ............................................. Stanley Nganga
Maryville Christian School ............................................................. Lilly Robbins
Maryville High School .................................................................... Josie Millsaps
Northview Academy ................................................................... Kayla Sizemore
Oak Ridge High School ............................................................... Vivian Sullivan
Powell High School ............................................................................. Isabel Helle
Sevier County High School ............................................................. Nico Rainey
Seymour High School ............................................................................ JT Parton
South-Doyle High School ................................................................ Titus Hunter
Swain County High School ................................................................ Bre DeAlto
Webb School of Knoxville ......................................................... Mayson Barger
West High School ................................................................................. Lily Segars
William Blount High School ........................................................... Kendall Mills
All-Star Crew Members
Asheville High School ....................................................................... Anna Payne
Asheville School ..................................................................................... Bel Witten
Bearden High School ..................................................................... Addison Pratt
Carter High School .......................................................................... Rylee Willson
Central High School ......................................................................... Cambria Ellis
Christian Academy of Knoxville ................................................. Tucker Darga
Clayton-Bradley Academy ............................................................... Susan Taluc
Clinton High School ............................................................... Heaven Brown
Concord Christian School ........................................................... Jonah Dewald
Grace Christian Academy ...................................................... Lauren Thornton
Hardin Valley Academy .......................................................... Brooks Chadwell
Heritage High School ....................................................... Brooklyn Whitehead
Karns High School .............................................................................. Layla Tobey
Knoxville Catholic High School ............................................... Corrine Warren
Maryville Christian School ............................................................. Sabine Kingman
Maryville High School ....................................................................... Jacob Teske
Northview Academy ........................................................... Elizabeth Masse
Oak Ridge High School ............................................................... Lenore Hadley
Powell High School ................................................................................ Allie Lakin
Sevier County High School ............................................................. Kailee Glass
Seymour High School ..................................................................... Sarah Horton
South-Doyle High School ......................................................... Michelle Phelps
Swain County High School ........................................................... Ni-Luh Menaka
Webb School of Knoxville .......................................................... Murphy Diddle
West High School .............................................................................. Sara Beckett
William Blount High School ............................................................. Kelci Coning
Outstanding Featured Actor
Omar Abdelnabi as Nikos Argitakos in Legally Blonde The Musical, Bearden High School
Ev Saulnier as Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray, Central High School
Thomas Brown as Gideon Pontipee in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Christian Academy of Knoxville
Destry Stalsworth as Amos Calloway in Big Fish, South-Doyle High School
Demetri Dresselhaus as Mysterious Man in Into the Woods, Swain County High School
Outstanding Featured Actress
Chloe Ellis as Margot in Legally Blonde The Musical, Bearden High School
Jaylon Carey as Pearl Krabs in The SpongeBob Musical, Hardin Valley Academy
Elizabeth Wheatley as Race in Newsies, Maryville Christian School
Karaline Wallis as Lorraine in All Shook Up (School Edition), Northview Academy
Charity Davis as Josephine Bloom in Big Fish, South-Doyle High School
Outstanding Overall Musical
Encore Tier
Bearden High School, Legally Blonde The Musical
Oak Ridge High School, Tuck Everlasting
Seymour High School, Anastasia
Outstanding Overall Musical
Curtain Call Tier
Heritage High School, Footloose
Swain County High School, Into the Woods
William Blount High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Outstanding Lead Actor
Zane White as Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde The Musical, Bearden High School
Gavin Woods as Link Larkin in Hairspray, Central High School
Zane Kragenbrink as Edward Bloom in Big Fish, South-Doyle High School
Lucien Crane as William Shakespeare in Something Rotten!, Webb School of Knoxville
Daniel Snoderly as William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, William Blount High School
Outstanding Lead Actress
Sienna Hancock as Olive Ostrosky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Asheville High School
Layla Griffey as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde The Musical, Bearden High School
Macy Miller as Anya in Anastasia, Seymour High School
Ally Bonifacio as Bea Bottom in Something Rotten!, Webb School of Knoxville
Abigail Cutler as The Witch in Into the Woods, Swain County High School
The Marquee Awards are dedicated to supporting the talents, education, and opportunities of high school theater students in our region to build a strong and inclusive theater community.
The program consists of two pieces:
- Education - Throughout the school year, participating schools have many opportunities for education including workshops with industry and local professionals, performance and production feedback from adjudicators, and nomination and recognition in several award categories
- Community - Throughout the school year, participants have many opportunities to come together and get to know one another, outside of educational and professional development opportunities. The Marquee Awards strive to connect and encourage one another, and to build lasting relationships that elevate the the arts community in our region
The Tennessee Theatre is a member of The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry, and sponsors and official Regional Awards Program of the The Jimmy Awards®, which allows the two Marquee Awards' Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress winners to participate in the national celebration of outstanding student achievement in high school musical theatre.
For more information about awards categories, adjudication rubrics, rules and regulations, and more, please visit the FAQs below. If you still have questions, please contact Alex Drinnen for school information and contact Logan Dozier for adjudication information.
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Alumni Internship Opportunties!
If you're interested in internship opportunities during the Awards Ceremony, you can find more information here!
- Click here to view the Handbook for Participating Schools!
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Click here to apply to be an adjudicator!
If you're interested in attending high school performances during the 2025-26 school year and providing feedback, please complete the form here!
We are thankful to the following Partners
Arts & Culture Alliance
Knox County
Clarence Brown Theatre
Dept of Treasury
We wouid also like to thank the Nancy Sharp Voith and Kenneth Stark Family for their support of this program.
Interested in becoming a partner? Contact Nicki Collett for more information about sponsoring or supporting this event!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the participation guidelines and rules?
All participation guidelines and rules can be found in the Participation Handbook linked above.
What categories will there be?
In addition to the required Outstanding Overall Musical, Outstanding Lead Actress, and Outstanding Lead Actor, we will nominate students and productions for a variety of categories recognizing their accomplishments in performing, backstage work, set design, costume design, choreography and more. View a full list of categories in the Participation Handbook linked above.
Are there any costs for schools or students to participate?
This program will be completely free for schools and students to participate. However, schools and/or students may be responsible for transportation and some meals on the workshop/ceremony days.
What if my school doesn't have a theater program?
Schools that do not have a full theater program, but produce some kind of revue, scenes, etc. may be eligible to participate in our Non-Adjudicated level. Additional details about this new aspect fo the program can be found in the Participation Handbook linked above.
Does our school have to perform a certain show to participate?
For the Adjudicated Level, the National High School Musical Theatre Awards release a list of Qualifying Shows and Roles. While this list is updated each year, typically shows are added rather than removed. We will update the list for the 2026 Awards as soon as it is released. Please note that your show must be adjudicated by Friday, April 24, 2026. For the Non-Adjudicated Level, there are fewer requirements, which can be found in the Participation Handbook linked above.
How will the shows be adjudicated?
To keep the competition fair, judges are selected from outside resources and are not staff members of the hosting theater or organization. This provides a wonderful opportunity to encourage involvement from other cultural and educational institutions within our region. Our judges include educators (not high school level), theater professionals and other community members with a knowledge of and interest in musical theater. The commitment of these volunteers provides the schools with invaluable feedback about their performances, which can help them to improve each year.
The objective of this independent panel of judges is to provide a fair analysis of each school's performance, determine nominees and select winners in each category. Each judge will use a Scoring Rubric to evaluate shows.
How do the outstanding lead actor and actress nominations work?
One finalist from each school will be chosen in the categories of Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress and will participate in a second round of adjudication. These finalists must have performed roles from the National High School Musical Theatre Awards list of eligible shows and roles. At this audition, finalists will sing 32 bars from the eligible role that they performed during their school’s musical, as well as participate in a dance call for our panel of judges.
My school is not located in Knoxville. Are we still eligible to participate?
Schools within a 2-hour driving distance of the Tennessee Theatre are eligible for participation. If you are not located within this radius, you can find other participating regional programs.
What if I have other questions?
If you are a school with questions regarding The Marquee Awards, please contact Alex Drinnen. If you have questions regarding the adudication process or becoming an adjudicator, please contact Logan Dozier.