Betsy Miller, from John Glenn High School in Bay City and Jeremy VandenHout, from Caledonia High School in Caledonia, competed in and won the 7th Annual Sutton Foster Ovation Awards at Wharton Center on Sunday, May 20, 2018. 

The Two Will Now Compete in The National High School Musical Theatre Awards in Nyc.

Betsy Miller, from John Glenn High School in Bay City and Jeremy VandenHout, from Caledonia High School in Caledonia, competed in and won the 7th annual Sutton Foster Ovation Awards at Wharton Center on Sunday, May 20, 2018. The award, named in honor of Michigan’s own Broadway star Sutton Foster, is a celebration of outstanding achievement in individual artistry, vocal, dance and acting performances for both a male and female lead in a high school musical theatre production. Miller and VandenHout were two of the 46 high school drama students from across Michigan to compete for the award. Last year’s male winner, Antonio Cipriano, was recently cast in the Broadway-bound company of the Alanis Morissette musical Jagged Little Pill.

Miller and VandenHout were each awarded $1,000 cash, along with a full scholarship to Take It From The Top, Wharton Center’s summer Broadway workshop. The winners will also head to New York City to compete in the National High School Musical Theater Awards—otherwise known as the JimmyTM Awards—on June 25, 2018, hosted this year by Tony Award winner Laura Benanti.

Also honored this year was Sara Heacox, from Coopersville High School, with the Excellence in Musical Theatre Education Award. The award honors the educator’s and the school’s commitment to excellence in performing arts education.

The Sutton Foster Ovation Awards is a partnership with Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Broadway in Detroit and Broadway Grand Rapids with additional support provided by Nancy Passanante.