By SALINA POST
Two Salina schools are being recognized for excellence in musical theater with nominations in the 2025 Jester Awards, an annual program presented by Music Theatre Wichita that celebrates outstanding achievement in high school musical theater across Kansas.
Sacred Heart Jr./Sr. High School received three official Jester Award nominations:
• Cameo Performer: Joel Bicknell as Father Frog
• Pre-High School Performer: Fortunato Carrazco as Bird
• Lobby Display: Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School
The school also earned six Region 4 Honors:
• Supporting Performer: Caroline Stone as Snail
• Cameo Performer: Joel Bicknell as Father Frog
• Pre-High School Performer: Fortunato Carrazco as Bird
• Lobby Display: Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School
• Small Ensemble: The Birds
• Design Guest/Program Design: Matea Gregg
Salina Central High School earned 14 Jester Award nominations and 19 Region 4 Honors for its recent production of Hadestown: Teen Edition.
2025 Jester Award Nominations for Salina Central:
• Outstanding Production
• Direction: Barbara Hilt
• Vocal Direction: Ryan Holmquist
• Orchestra Direction: Lindsay Modin
• Artistic Guest Choreography: Maggie Spicer-Brown
• Sound Design: Guillermo Rodriguez
• Lighting Design: Barbara Hilt, Andrew Graber, Wyatt Angell
• Costume Design: Barbara Hilt
• Leading Performer: Mac Sheforgen as Hermes
• Leading Performer: Wyatt Angell as Orpheus
• Supporting Performer: Sarah Day as Persephone
• Ensemble/Chorus
• Technical Achievement: Anastasia Corl (Stage Management)
• Production Number: We Raise Our Cups
Region 4 Honors for Salina Central include:
• Scenic Design: Bill Weaver
• Stage Crew
• Program Design: Bill Weaver
• Supporting Performer: Gage Gibson as Hades
• Small Ensemble: The Fates
The 23rd Annual Jester Awards Ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at Century II Performing Arts Center’s Convention Hall in Wichita. Tickets are $15 and available online or at the door.
Each year, trained volunteer judges evaluate dozens of high school productions. In 2025, 65 judges reviewed 152 performances across 49 productions, involving more than 3,000 students from schools across Kansas.
“The level of talent present in our high schools around Kansas is spectacular,” said Paul Witte, MTWichita’s board president. “I’m always blown away by the dedication of our students and teachers in producing student shows we can admire.”
Nominees from across the state will be recognized in 23 categories, including “Outstanding Production,” “Leading Performer,” and “Stage Crew.” Several performers will also take the stage during the ceremony, and scholarships will be awarded to two leading performers and one technical theatre recipient.
The Jester Awards are sponsored by the Naftzger Fund for Fine Arts and the Lois K. Walls Jester Fund at MTWichita, with additional support from the Sam and Rie Bloomfield Foundation. Alumni of the program can be seen performing across the country, including on Broadway and at Music Theatre Wichita this summer.
For more information and a full list of nominees, visit MTWichita.org.