Dalton, GA — On Thursday, March 20 the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards (GHMSTA), or Shuler Awards, announced the finalists and semi-finalists for their 2025 awards ceremony. Out of the 75 schools competing, the Dalton High School Players’ production of Hadestown: Teen Edition received finalist nominations in nine categories, three semi-finalist nominations, and two honorable mentions out of the 15 categories.
On top of these nominations, DHS Senior, Ellis Stephens, was named as a scholarship recipient for a summer film production camp at the Trilith Institute.
Three of the categories this year required a second audition date where semi-finalist nominees performed for a panel of judges in the hopes of being named as finalists for the GHSMTA. The categories requiring the second audition were: “Best Overall Production,” “Leading Actor,” and “Leading Actress.”
The DHS Players received semi-finalist nominations in all three, with Kinsley Stephens and Hayden Poe being the semi-finalists for “Leading Actress” and “Leading Actor,” respectively. On Sunday, March 23, the Dalton High School cast of Hadestown: Teen Edition auditioned two musical numbers as a full cast and cheered on Hayden and Kinsley’s solo auditions. After a few days wait, the Players learned they were finalists in all three categories.
This brought the total number of finalist nominations received by the Dalton High School Players’ production of Hadestown: Teen Edition to 12 between the cast, crew, and directors.
Tune in to PBS to watch the Dalton High School Players in action and cheer them on as they aim for some well-deserved awards!
The GHSMTA ceremony will be live-streamed on Thursday, April 17 at 8:00 pm. https://www.pbs.org/show/shuler-awards/
The Nominations:
Direction: Alana Sane, DHS Drama Teacher
Music Direction: Riley Hooper, DHS Chorus Teacher
Choreography: Maddie Hooper, Volunteer Guest Artist, and student choreographers Olivia Bowen (11th), Mary Sharp (10th), Hayden Poe (12th) , Audrey Asbell (10th), and Monica Velesquez (10th)
Scenic Design: Matthew Sane, DHS Art Teacher, and Alana Sane, DHS Drama Teacher
Lighting Design: Jack Kersey, DHS Senior
Sound Design: Austin Rivera, DHS Junior
Costume Design: Kate Jones, DHS Junior
Supporting Performer: Ellis Stephens, DHS Senior
Leading Actor: Hayden Poe, DHS Senior
Leading Actress: Kinsley Stephens, DHS Senior
Best Ensemble: DHS Players
Best Overall Production: Cast and Crew of DHS‘ Hadestown Teen Edition
Honorable Mentions:
Technical Execution: Lara Knox, DHS Math Teacher, Jack Kersey, DHS Senior, and Austin Rivera, DHS Junior
Supporting Performer: Andrea Marsh, DHS Junior