Tommy Tune Awards

THE WINNERS OF THE 2025 TOMMY TUNE AWARDS!

The Tommy Tune Awards are the city’s biggest night for high school musical theatre — a high-energy celebration spotlighting the most talented student performers, designers, and directors in the region. Created and produced by Theatre Under The Stars, this electrifying ceremony honors excellence on and off the stage, with showstopping performances and unforgettable moments inspired by the legacy of Broadway legend Tommy Tune, a Houston native.

The annual ceremony took place at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, June 6. The winners of the 2025 Tommy Tune Awards are:

Outstanding Musical:

• Tier 1: Clear Springs High School, Hadestown: Teen Edition
• Tier 2: Stratford High School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Jimmy Awards^® Nominee Winner:

• Carlos Garza, Pearland High School, Catch Me if You Can

Jimmy Awards^® Nominee Winner:

• Alyssa Dorsey, G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls

Jimmy Awards^® Nominee Runner Up:

• Zeina Montifar, Bridgeland High School, Evita

Jimmy Awards^® Nominee Runner Up:

• Holden Hageleberger, Stratford High School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid

North Star Award:

• Payton Daly, The Kinkaid School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Congeniality Award:

• Jerome Johnson, Hightower High School, The Color Purple

Spirit Award:

• Reagan Wilson, G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Ensemble:

• Tier 1: G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls

• Tier 2: Second Baptist School, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Outstanding Technical Achievement:

• Tier 1: G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls

• Tier 2: Second Baptist School, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Outstanding Orchestra:

• Tier 1: Klein Collins High School, The Sound of Music
• Tier 2: Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, 9to 5
• Tier 2: Klein High School, Anastasia

Outstanding Director:

• Tier 1: Roshunda Jones-Koumba, G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls
• Tier 2: Cindy Blades, Zoe Chapman, Second Baptist School, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
• Tier 2: CeCe Prudhomme, Lizzie Picott, Stratford High School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Outstanding Music Direction:

• Tier 1: Donte Wright, G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls
• Tier 2: Claire Westmoreland, Kambel Crites, Jacqueline Lundsford, Second Baptist School, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Outstanding Choreography:

• Tier 1: Cole Montgomery, Nicole Hiemstra, Houston Christian High School, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
• Tier 2: Courtney D. Jones, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, 9 to 5
• Tier 2: Melissa Tyler, Kenny Erler, Dr. Bobby Linhart, Houston Christian High School, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Outstanding Lighting Design:

• Tier 1: Aria Bouchard, Hailey Hawk, Clear Springs High School, Hadestown: Teen Edition
• Tier 2: Colin Burke, Matthew Murphy, The Emery/Weiner School, Footloose
• Tier 2: Griffin Ferguson, Carleigh Nickel, Stratford High School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Outstanding Scenic Design:

• Tier 1: Jabari Collins, G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls
• Tier 2: David Clayton, Sophie Myers, Meredith Avery, Stratford High School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid
• Tier 2: Steven Bogard, The John Cooper School, Anything Goes
• Tier 2: Walker Fair, The Emery/Weiner School, Footloose

Outstanding Costume Design:

• Tier 1: Amber Young, Terry Hibbert, Clark McCormick, Houston Christian High School, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
• Tier 1: Jamar Hawkins, G.W. Carver High School, Dreamgirls
• Tier 1: Frances Guerrero, Yates High School, The Wiz
• Tier 2: Joscelyne Oktabetz, Percy Vojnovich, Kingwood High School, The Phantom of the Opera
• Tier 2: Laura Targett, The John Cooper School, Anything Goes

Outstanding Sound Design:

• Tier 1: Zariah Tatum, G.W. Carver, Dreamgirls
• Tier 2: Mac Brown, Caroline Morisett, Second Baptist School, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Outstanding Stage Management:

• Tier 1: Niya Kelly, G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls
• Tier 2: Avery Glauser, Sara Griffin, Avelynn Stovall, Second Baptist School, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
• Tier 2: Bethany Maynard, Stratford High School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Outstanding Supporting Lead:

• Andrew Dybala, Stratford High School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid
• Dash Leonard, Stratford High School, Disney’s The Little Mermaid
• Kasean Francis, G.W. Carver Magnet High School, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Singer:

• Meagan Edwards, Ridge Point High School, The SpongeBob Musical

Outstanding Actor:

• Avery Buras, Friendswood High School, Mary Poppins
• Harrison Kulis, The John Cooper School, Anything Goes
• Ian Endom, The John Cooper School, Anything Goes

Outstanding Dancer:

• Olivia Shoemaker, Second Baptist High School, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Outstanding Honorable Mention:

• Ethan Rodriguez Torres, Cypress Ranch High School, Sweeney Todd
• Hezekiah Mayers, Summer Creek High School, Mean Girls: High School Edition

Additionally, TUTS awarded $25,000 in scholarships to seven students. The 2025 recipients of the Tommy Tune Awards Scholarships are Madison Weaston, Alice Wilson, Allison Gary, Ella Farias, and Lauren Philpott. The Tommy Tune Awards Scholarships are awarded to applicants who have achieved excellence in the field of musical theatre.

The 2025 recipient of the Ruth Denney Scholarship Award is Julius Bob. The Ruth Denney Scholarship is awarded to a Tommy Tune student who exemplifies the art and scholarship of musical theatre. Named in honor of Tune’s mentor and legendary Lamar High School drama teacher. Ruth Denney was the founder and first director of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and then Professor of Drama Education at the University of Texas at Austin.

The 2025 recipient of the Sean Rudolph Scholarship Award is Eliran Masti. The Sean Rudolph Scholarship for Musical Theatre was named for the prominent producer and champion of emerging artists in the theatre and contemporary arts, the Sean Rudolph Scholarship is awarded to a student who exemplifies innovation and creativity in the field of musical theatre.  

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about the tommy tune awards

The Tommy Tune Awards (TTA) Program celebrates the educational value, artistry and community of high school musical theatre in the Greater Houston Area. 

• Education: No matter the role in the creative process, experiences in the arts cultivate confidence, spark creative thinking, and inspire life-long learning. 
• Artistry: The arts are a safe haven for exploration, reflection, and innovation. TTA is as an opportunity for students and educators to share their creative accomplishments as individuals, collaborators and members of the greater Houston community. 
• Community: We believe in the power of learning, collaborating, and growing together. As we celebrate shared experiences of this transformative artform, we as an artistic and educational community enhance the future of our students, our art, and our city. 

Houston area high schools produce a full-length musical to compete in over 15 TTA categories. Each school is adjudicated by a team of volunteer, professional Houston-based music/theatre artists. This process runs October to March with top scorers receiving nominations and a finalist announcement in March. After a rehearsal period involving TTA finalists, along with a student representatives from each participating school, an awards show will be presented to the community in celebration of the participant’s artistic accomplishments. 

Theatre Under The Stars acts as the administrative body of the Tommy Tune Awards, coordinating school and adjudicating schedules, facilitating the scholarship award process, and producing the awards show.