Prepared and excited to perform on the colossal stage at the Hobby Center in downtown Houston, the Tommy Tune Awards, hosted by the Theatre under the Stars (TUTS), gives 45 schools in the Houston area a chance to compete and pride themselves in this years musical performances.

On Wednesday, April 16, the company of Guys and Dolls performed at the Tommy Tune Awards. This annual competition displays scenes from the top eight high-school musical performances and awards trophies to deserving school productions.

“Being nominated for best leading actress was one of the greatest honors I’ve received,” Senior Brooke Shaw said. “It was a lot of hard-work in a short amount of time, but extremely rewarding to be able to perform in front of thousands of people.”

Towards the end of the Tommy Tune Awards, the nominations for best leading actor and actress performed medleys of a certain sections of a song portraying their character. After each medley, the results of best leading actor or actress was announced and awarded.

“To be able to show our art to thousands of people and be nominated for Best Leading Actor is an incredible honor,” Junior Alec Ryan said. “It was amazing to work with all of the other actors who were nominated in the category and shared a piece of art we have worked hard on.”

The musical performance of Guys and Dolls was nominated for 14 out of 15 categories and approached the award show with 16 nominations total due to double-nominations in the lead characters.

“Being a part of such an incredible production like Guys and Dolls and getting the opportunity to work with so many talented and passionate people was the perfect ending to my senior year in theatre,” Kylee Ward said. “Accepting the Tommy Tune award for Best Costume Design on behalf of the company was like icing on the cake and it was really gratifying to be recognized for all of the hard work that we put into the show.”