ATLANTA, GEORGIA – March 30, 2010 – Nominees in the 15 categories of the Shuler Hensley Awards For Excellence in High School Musical Theatre were announced this evening at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.  Nominations covered the following categories:  Overall Production, Director, Choreography, Scenic Design, Lighting Design, Stage Crew & Technical Execution, Costume Design, Orchestra, Musical Direction, Ensemble/Chorus, Leading Actor/Actress, Supporting Actor/Actress, Featured Performer.  Click here for a list of the nominees.

Thirty-nine high schools from 11 counties, representing 12 school districts as well as private schools in the Greater Atlanta area participated this year. This year's growth in participants represents an over 150% increase over 2009.  The Shuler Hensley Awards honor musical theatre excellence at the high school level.  The program is an initiative of the ARTSBRIDGE education program of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation. 
 
A team of 25 Atlanta-based arts professionals evaluated the participating high school productions, with winners to be announced at a Tony Awards-style ceremony on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Centre.  The show will feature an opening number starring Shuler Hensley joined by representatives from all schools participating in this year's competition, numbers from the six nominated shows for overall excellence, as well as award presentations by local and national celebrities for the performers, directors, choreographers, orchestras and designers, who have defined excellence throughout 2009-2010.

The Cobb Energy Centre awards are named for Marietta native, Shuler Hensley.  Shuler's outstanding work has included: his performance as Jud in the revival of Oklahoma!, for which he received the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Award; the country-rock and blues musical The Great American Trailer Park Musical in 2004-2005; and in May 2006 he opened in the Disney musical Tarzan in the role of Kerchak. Hensley is currently playing the role of Frankenstein's monster in the stage musical of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, which opened on Broadway in November 2007. His distinctive work as the lovable creature earned him nominations for both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award in 2008.

Tickets for The Shuler Hensley Awards Ceremony are on sale.  The price for the concert performance is $10.00 each plus applicable fees.  Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com, or (800) 745-3000, or at the Bank of North Georgia Box Office at the Cobb Energy Centre located at 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339.

For general information on the Shuler Hensley Awards program, call (770) 916-2808.

About Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation
The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is charged with securing financial resources for the Centre and acting as a fiduciary of those resources. Funds raised by the Foundation support capital needs of the Centre; establish an endowment to provide ongoing support of the Centre; and underwrite the Foundation's signature education initiative, ARTSBRIDGE.  Additional information about the foundation and ways to contribute is available at www.cobbenergycentre.com
 
About ARTSBRIDGE Education Program
The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation launched its educational outreach program, ARTSBRIDGE, with the Centre's opening in fall of 2007.  Through a combination of field trip programs, artists-in-schools, master classes, and a special collaboration with KSU, the ARTSBRIDGE program offers uniquely powerful arts education tools to educators throughout the metropolitan Atlanta region.  The Shuler Hensley Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre were added in 2009.  In total, to date, ARTSBRIDGE programs have served over 120,000 teachers and students from across the region.

About Cobb Energy Centre
The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, a $145 million, state-of-the-art facility, is located at 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway in northwest Atlanta, inside the Perimeter. Cobb Energy Centre is a premier venue for opera, concerts, Broadway shows, ballet, educational performances, family shows and corporate meetings and events. The Centre hosts three resident companies:  Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Broadway Series and The Atlanta Opera.  The facility includes the 2,750-seat John A. Williams Theatre, the 10,000-square-foot Kessel D. Stelling, Jr. Ballroom , 1,000 parking spaces (including a 700-space parking deck), and full-service food and beverage capabilities. The Centre, part of the Cobb-Galleria complex, is governed by the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority. Additional information about the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is available at www.cobbenergycentre.com.