As most were fighting traffic to head home from downtown Dallas homeward bound, the Dallas Summer Musicals supporters made their way to Neiman Marcus Downtown on Monday, February 8. Despite a Super Bowl battle the night before, nary a word about football was uttered.
OK, so perhaps there was some chatter about Lady Gaga’s nailing the national anthem and the halftime concert, but this crowd was in the Zodiac Room to kick off the 2016 Dallas Summer Musicals’ High School Musical Awards program. The evening’s rallying cry was to replace the age-old slogan “Best of Broadway is coming to North Texas” with “The best of North Texas are going to Broadway.”
Well, duh! In the past a scant few North Texans like Betty Buckley, Mary Martin, Tommy Tune and Sandy Duncan have collected Tonys galore, but now the DSM’s High School Musical Awards program was providing that pat-on-the-back and financial assistance for budding young area talent.
Having started back in 2012, the DSM’s High School Musical Theatre Awards rewards high schools for “excellence in the production of high school musical theatre.” This year is the fifth of the efforts with results being revealed at the awards show on Thursday, April 14, at the Music Hall. Highlight of the night’s program will be performances by the “Best Actor and Best Actress nominees, production numbers and from Best Musical nominees and an opening number featuring all nominated performance accompanied by a live orchestra.”
DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards Chair John Clutts had worked with DSM staffers to create a surprise for the evening. It was revealed that as a show to salute Leah and Jerry Fullinwider, who provided “the initial gift of $100,00 to help fund and produce Dallas Summer Musical High School Musical Theatre Awards and the scholarship program in 2012,” the Fullinwider Award had been created to “honor a person living a life in the theatre at the national level whose roots, formative and education years are in the Dallas theatrical community.”
John confided that even before the kick off, the effort had already pulled in $60,000.
And speaking of John, the former Neiman Marcus executive held his own in the spontaneous department. After describing his mother as a lifelong Neiman’s Zodiac guest, he added that he suspected that he had been born in utero a la NM.
Then when he dropped his notes at the mic, he quipped, “What can you say? I am a clutts.”
Groans arose from the crowd that included NM Downtown GM/VP/Host Jeff Byron, Sami Arslanlar, Tiffany Divis, Megan Meyercord, Shane Allen, Laree Hulshoff, Nancy Natinsky, Honorary Co-Chair Brad Reeves (Co-Chair/wife Holly Reeves wasn’t able to make it) and DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards Emcee Ron Corning, who was being honored for his five years of emceeing the event.
MIA was
DSM President/Managing Director Michael Jenkins, who as at the town hall meeting on the future of Fair Park. Luckily, High School Music Theatre Awards Manager Tracy Jordan was on hand along with Francisco Chairez to cover.
After a performances by “Bridges of Madison County” cast members Cole Burden, hometown’s John Campione and Trista Moldovan, a surprise arrived. It was a cake topped off with candles presented to birthday boy John, who blew them all out in one breath.