Hult Center launches statewide high school musical theatre awards

The Hult Center is putting Oregon high school musical theater on a bigger stage, and Lane County schools are in the middle of it. Eighteen productions from 12 school districts were evaluated during the 2025-2026 academic year for the inaugural Hult High School Musical Theatre Awards, a new regional program that will hand out recognition in Silva Concert Hall on Tuesday, June 2, at 7:00 p.m.

For students, the stakes reach beyond one night in Eugene. Two winners will be named Outstanding Performers in a Leading Role and will travel to New York City for the Jimmy Awards on June 22, where regional nominees take part in coaching, training and rehearsals with Broadway professionals. The national program was established in 2009 and has since generated more than $9 million in educational scholarships, while more than 90 alumni have gone on to Broadway and national tours.

The Hult Center says any Oregon high school can participate if it completes the application process, which matters for Lane County families and teachers looking for a clearer path from school productions to regional and national recognition. The awards are not limited to starring roles. Nominees are being considered in supporting roles, ensemble, orchestra, stage crew, scenic design, costume design and lighting design, a structure that gives credit to the technical and collaborative work that keeps a show running. Schools including South Eugene and Sheldon are among the nominees, along with Lincoln, Centennial, Mountainside and Roseburg.

That broader field could matter as much as the lead awards. For theater departments, a regional nomination can raise a program’s profile with students, parents and administrators, and it can help show that musical theater is an academic and artistic pipeline, not just an extracurricular. For students, it creates a high-visibility credential that may open doors to scholarships, internships and future auditions.

The Hult Center’s Community & Creative Learning program says it is designed to remove barriers and expand access to performances and creative learning experiences. The venue, created in 1982 by the people of Eugene, has long framed arts education as part of its public mission, and this awards program extends that role statewide. Tickets use a choose-what-you-pay model, with amounts above $10 supporting the Hult Center Community & Creative Learning Department, making the ceremony both a showcase and a fundraiser for arts access.