ATLANTA,None — It's not the Oscars or the Golden Globes, but for 41 metro Atlanta high schools, it's the next best thing.
Students from those 41 schools participated in the 2011 Shuler Hensley Awards this week. The Shuler Hensley Awards recognize excellence in high school musical theater.
Fifteen awards were handed out, including awards for leading actor, leading actress, direction and overall production.
The prestigious awards are named for Georgia native and Tony award-winning actor Shuler Hensley.
"These kids are just coming out from everywhere and they are just so many years ahead of where they should be," Hensley said. "It's just amazing the level of talent and just the maturity on stage."
LIST: 2011 Shuler Hensley Award Recipients
The awards ceremony included musical performances from all of the schools nominated for best overall production. West Forsyth High School took home the Shuler for its version of "Oklahoma." Mitchell Jones from West Forsyth won the Shuler for leading actor; Eric Gray from West Forsyth won the Shuler for direction. The school also captured the ensemble/chorus award.
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Five outstanding performers also received scholarships to continue their musical theater and dance careers.
The program is an initiative of the ARTSBRIDGE education program of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation. Through a combination of field trip programs, artists-in-schools, master classes and a special collaboration with Kennesaw State University, the ARTSBRIDGE program offers uniquely powerful arts education tools to educators throughout metro Atlanta.
The Shuler Hensley Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre debuted in 2009.
WSB-TV News Anchors Jovita Moore and Fred Blankenship co-hosted this year's awards ceremony. Channel 2 will feature a one-hour special highlighting the winners and the outstanding performances in June.