The Blue Star Awards are held each year to recognize high school theatre performances and performers. This year, the theatre department earned seven nominations, with two seniors nominated for their performances in this year’s mainstage musical, “The Wedding Singer.”
“The Wedding Singer” was performed on March 6-8 and tells the story of Robbie Hart, a wedding singer, and his attempts to win over Julia, a server. Senior Cameron Hargrove played Robbie and said his nomination for “Best Lead Role” was unexpected.
“I was kind of shocked,” Hargrove said. “Kansas City’s got a very good theatre world out there, so I wasn’t really expecting it at all.”
Senior Emily Chipak played Rosie, Robbie’s grandmother. She was nominated for “Best Supporting Role” and said she didn’t believe it at first either.
“I was in total shock. I was genuinely waiting to wake up from a dream,” Chipak said. “Then my best friend, Lauren [Martin], was telling me that she was super proud and then I cried.”
The cast of “The Wedding Singer” was also given the nomination for “Outstanding Ensemble” which Hargrove said was a good reflection of the cast.
“As a cast, we put a ton of work into getting the show going and getting it to look good,” Hargrove said. “I was just super excited and proud of everyone.”
Hargrove and Chipak both said they did not plan on being nominated for a Blue Star at the beginning of the year.
“I never thought [this] was in the cards for me at any point in time,” Chipak said. “I wanted to get a good role in a musical, that was my goal, but never this.”
This year’s ceremony is being held on May 16 at Starlight Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
“All the schools who were nominated all sit in the stands and there’s an ensemble that performs and we get to see a number from all the shows that got nominated for ‘Best Overall Show,’” Hargrove said. “It’s just a big award ceremony, and if you win, you get to go up on stage, receive the trophy and do a little speech.”
Both seniors said that being nominated for a Blue Star means a lot to them.
“For me, it’s proof that I can do anything I put my mind to,” Chipak said. “It’s proof that I am recognized for my abilities, and it’s nice to have recognition.”
