Immediate Release Date: May 21, 2018 Contact: David Cotey, Coordinator of Communications 262-789-6225 | [email protected]

Eisenhower’s Outstanding Musical Award for ‘Into the Woods’ Leads District’s Jerry Award Winners

New Berlin, Wis. – New Berlin Eisenhower’s Into the Woods was awarded Outstanding Musical by the 2018 Overture Center for the Arts Jerry Awards, a program that recognizes and encourages excellence in high school musical theater.

Into the Woods is the third Eisenhower performance to earn the Outstanding Musical in the last seven years, joining Les Miserables and AIDA.

The Outstanding Musical Award recognizes the collective performance of the cast, crew, and pit; musical and vocal direction; choreography; scenic, costume and lighting design; sound design (Doug Hoeft) and stage management (Eisenhower senior Grace Statdfield).

Eisenhower’s Amy Weyers also received a Jerry Spirit Award, as did New Berlin West’s Krysta Hoffmann, Hunter Leathers and Evan McKenzie for their performances in Guys and Dolls.

Formerly known as the Tommy Awards, the Jerry Awards recognize and honor excellence in high school musical theater. Overture’s Jerry Awards program is an education initiative that recognizes, honors and encourages excellence in musical theater production among area high school students. Musicals of participating schools are reviewed by a panel of educators, theater experts and industry professions. Based on reviewers’ comments and tabulations, productions and individuals receive awards in specific categories at a ceremony held each year at Overture Center in June.

This year, the Jerry adjudicators reviewed approximately 85 productions.

The awards were renamed this season in honor of philanthropist and arts supporter W. Jerome Frautschi.

The 2018 Tommy Awards will take place Sunday, June 10, at the Overture Center in Madison. The ceremony also features performance and production numbers from award winners in several categories. Eisenhower cast members will be featured in a medley celebrating Into the Woods.

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