Area Students Earn “Jester” Nominations

By Todd Pittenger April 12, 2026

Students from the Salina area are among high school thespians across the state nominated for prestigious Jester Awards.

For over two decades, the Jester Awards, presented by Music Theatre Wichita, have celebrated excellence in Kansas high school musical theatre. Dedicated judges recognize the hard work and creativity of students and faculty statewide.

The awards honor excellence in the production of high school musicals across Kansas. Students from Salina Central,  Salina Sacred Heart, Southeast of Saline, and Smoky Valley all received nominations.

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

  • Bishop Carroll High School- Brigadoon
  • Garden City High School- Chicago: Teen Edition
  • Goddard High School- Seussical
  • Independence High School- The Addams Family: School Edition
  • Pittsburg High School- Hadestown: Teen Edition
  • Salina Central High School- Into the Woods
  • Smoky Valley High School- All Shook Up: School Edition
  • Sterling High School- Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
  • Topeka West High School- Between the Lines
  • Wichita Collegiate School- Les Misérables School Edition

DIRECTION OF A SHOW

  • Katrina Jacobsen –  Disney’s The Little Mermaid – Baldwin High School
  • Claire Clifford – Oklahoma! – Halstead High School
  • Sarah Kitzke –  The Addams Family: School Edition – Hugoton High School
  • Tobie Henline – Seussical  – Hutchinson High School
  • Elizabeth Bennin – The Addams Family: School Edition –  Independence High School
  • Breana Clark – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Barbara Hilt – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Eric Lundstrom – All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Amy Shelden Loucks – Curtains: School Edition – Trinity Academy
  • Derrick Gronewold – Once Upon a Mattress –  Wichita High School East

LEADING PERFORMER

  • Malea Olsen (Sandy Cheeks) – The SpongeBob Musical – Andover High School
  • Petra Morris (Ariel) -Disney’s The Little Mermaid – Baldwin High School
  • Cecilia Lubbers (Fiona MacLaren) – Brigadoon – Bishop Carroll High School
  • Adan Rodriguez (Tommy Albright) – Brigadoon – Bishop Carroll High School
  • Izzy Todd (Babe O’Day) – Good News! – El Dorado High School
  • Paige Sanders (Roxie Hart) – Chicago: Teen Edition – Garden City High School
  • Audric Mansoor McKedy (Horton the Elephant) – Seussical – Goddard High School
  • Piper Wiebe (Gertrude McFuzz) – Seussical – Goddard High School
  • Marco Amador (Gomez Addams) – The Addams Family: School Edition – Hugoton High School
  • Kaitlin Kelley (Reno Sweeney) – Anything Goes – Maize South High School
  • Charli Weber (Rizzo) – Grease – Newton High School
  • Norlan Aguilar (Orpheus) – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Adeline Sullivan (Eurydice) – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Madison Berndt (Baker’s Wife) – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Parker Gardner (Chad) – All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Cooper Pieplow (Agatha Trunchbull) – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical Sterling High School
  • Aaron Lane (Lion) – The Wizard of Oz – Topeka High School
  • Raya Potter (Deliliah) – Between the Lines Topeka West High School
  • Ben Shackelford (Javert) –  Les Misérables School Edition  – Wichita Collegiate School
  • Natalie Webber (Eponine) – Les Misérables School Edition  – Wichita Collegiate School

SUPPORTING PERFORMER

  • Alexi Thorstenberg (Violet) – Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Andover Central High School
  • Martin Epperson (King Sextimus) – Once Upon a Mattress – Augusta High School
  • Rylee Webb (Flounder) – Disney’s The Little Mermaid – Baldwin High School
  • Kaylee Wellman (Charlotte) – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella – Emporia High School
  • Oliver Spencer (Billy Flynn) – Chicago: Teen Edition – Garden City High School
  • Adrian Drees (Jojo) – Seussical – Goddard High School
  • Avery Castleberry (Ali Hakim)- Oklahoma! – Halstead High School
  • Alexis Ryan (Liesl) – The Sound of Music – Hays High School
  • Shaunessy Wallace (Crystal) – Little Shop of Horrors – Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School
  • Jace Murdock (Adam) – Freaky Friday – Maize High School
  • Eddie Darling (Hermes) – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Townes Sullivan (Hades) -Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Gavin Smith (Squidward) – The SpongeBob Musical Rock Creek High School
  • Mac Sheforgen (Cinderella ‘s Prince) – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Hunter Koehn (Dennis) – All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Caleb Giorgetti (Mr. Wormwood) – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Sydney Roelfs (Miss Honey) – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Sophia Santo (Fantine) – Les Misérables School Edition – Wichita Collegiate School
  • Drake Broadrick (Sir Harry) – Once Upon a Mattress Wichita High School East –
  • Denarius Davis (Roger) – Grease – Wichita Northwest High School

CAMEO PERFORMER

  • Lee Hoang (The Wolf) – Into the Woods – Arkansas City High School
  • Aaron Gorges (Bagpiper) –  Brigadoon – Bishop Carroll High School
  • Trey Bond ( General Gengus Kahn Schmitz) – Seussical – Goddard High School
  • Evalyn Axthelm (The Moon) –  The Addams Family: School Edition – Independence High School
  • Aylin Renteria (Dragon) – Shrek The Musical JR. – Lyons High School
  • Mariella Koehn (Tornado) – The Wizard of Oz – Marion High School
  • Luke Nystorm (Lead Guitar) – Disney’s Camp Rock The Musical – Pratt High School
  • Cadence Jacques (Patchy the Pirate) – The SpongeBob Musical – Rock Creek High School
  • Beckett Murray (Vince Fontaine) – Grease: School Edition – Southeast of Saline High School
  • Jonah Widener (Bishop) – Les Misérables School Edition – Wichita Collegiate School

PRE-HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMER

  • Michael Prelle (Augustus Gloop) –  Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Andover Central High School
  • Jack Ebert (Jester) – Once Upon a Mattress – Augusta High School
  • Brielle Ives (Jojo) – Seussical-  Clearwater High School
  • Gemma Davidson (Gretl) – The Sound of Music  -Hays High School
  • Grady Hawks (Charlie Bucket) -Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka – Nickerson High School
  • Fortunato Carrazco (Ugly) – Honk! – Sacred Heart High School
  • The Munchkins – The Wizard of Oz – Topeka High School
  • Ben Dakhil and Waylon Blue (Gavroche) – Les Misérables School Edition – Wichita Collegiate School
  • Keira Creasser-Taylor (Young Alice) – Alice By Heart – Wichita Northeast Magnet High School

SMALL ENSEMBLE

  • The Mersisters – Disney’s The Little Mermaid – Baldwin High School
  • Wickersham Brothers – Seussical Goddard – High School
  • The Vonn Trapp Children – The Sound of Music – Hays High School
  • The Ancestor Ensemble – The Addams Family: School Edition – Independence High School
  • Crystal, Ronnette, and Chiffon – Little Shop of Horrors – Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School
  • Purity, Chastity, Charity, and Virtue – Anything Goes – Maize South High School
  • The Fates – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • The Electric Skates – The SpongeBob Musical – Rock Creek High School
  • Revolting Children Ensemble – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Elder Care Worker and Nanny – Working – Wichita Southeast High School

ENSEMBLE/CHORUS

  • The Addams Family: School Edition –  Independence High School
  • Chicago: Teen Edition – Garden City High School
  • Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Disney’s Camp Rock The Musical –  Pratt High School
  • Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Between the Lines – Topeka West High School
  • Curtains: School Edition – Trinity Academy
  • Les Misérables School Edition –  Wichita Collegiate School

PRODUCTION NUMBER

  • The Varsity Drag – Good News! – El Dorado High School
  • We Both Reached for the Gun-  Chicago: Teen Edition – Garden City High School
  • Solla Sollew –  Seussical –  Goddard High School
  • Finale/Oh, The Thinks You Can Think – Seussical – Hutchinson High School
  • Why We Build the Wall – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • No More – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Revolting Children –  Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Another Chapter – Between the Lines – Topeka West High School
  • Thataway – Curtains: School Edition – Trinity Academy
  • One Day More – Les Misérables School Edition – Wichita Collegiate School

ORCHESTRA DIRECTION

  • Victoria Griffitt – The SpongeBob Musical Andover High School
  • Daniel Samsel – Brigadoon – Bishop Carroll High School
  • Ashley Peery – Mamma Mia! – Eisenhower High School
  • Christopher Lovell and Christopher Shaw – Seussical  – Goddard High School
  • Meredith Hopkins – Seussical – Hutchinson High School
  • Riley Day – Grease – Newton High School
  • Hannah Sullivan – High School Musical – Ottawa High School
  • Lindsay Modin – Into the Woods Salina Central High School
  • Anna Kennedy – The Addams Family: School Edition Seaman High School
  • Steph Nusbaum – Grease  – Wichita Northwest High School

VOCAL MUSIC DIRECTION

  • Abigail Martinez – Chicago: Teen Edition – Garden City High School
  • Luke Harding – The Addams Family: School Edition – Hugoton High School
  • Chandler Dohe – Seussical – Hutchinson High School
  • Christopher Kurt – The Addams Family: School Edition – Independence High School
  • Susan Laushman – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Ryan Holmquist – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Clark Comley – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Andrew Huff – Between the Lines – Topeka West High School
  • Connor Klaassen – Curtains: School Edition – Trinity Academy
  • Matt Webber – Les Misérables School Edition – Wichita Collegiate School

CHOREOGRAPHY/STAGING

  • Addie Gaul, Lucy Iseman, and Nina Sladek – Brigadoon – Bishop Carroll High School
  • Katie Banks-Todd – Good News! – El Dorado High School
  • Virginia Duncan-  Chicago: Teen Edition – Garden City High School
  • Keeley Carlton – Seussical – Hutchinson High School
  • Holly Grubbs – The Addams Family: School – Edition Hugoton High School
  • Evalyn Axthelm – The Addams Family: School Edition – Independence High School
  • Angela Dolezal – All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Mija Geering and Ayianna Graham – The Wizard of Oz – Topeka High School
  • Lily Brown, Katie Murphy, and Shelby Saunders – Between the Lines – Topeka West High School
  • Kara Reida – Once Upon a Mattress – Wichita High School East

ARTISTIC GUEST

  • Jodi Dyer & Jessica Pammenter (Choreography) – Godspell – Andale High School
  • Sarah Lamar (Stage Direction) – Godspell – Andale High School
  • Ken Gale (Vocal Direction) – Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Andover Central High School
  • Cierra Musick Jennings (Choreography) – Little Shop of Horrors – Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School
  • Courtney Schoenofer and Brooke Chavez Martinez (Choreography) – The Wizard of Oz – Labette County High School
  • Haylee Couey (Choreography) – Anything Goes – Maize South High School
  • Maggie Spicer-Brown (Choreography) – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Skye Reid (Choreography) – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Seaman High School
  • Piper Harding (Choreography) – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Rile Reavis (Choreography) – Curtains: School Edition – Trinity Academy

STAGE CREW

  • Andover High School – The SpongeBob Musical
  • Baldwin High School – Disney’s The Little Mermaid
  • Halstead High School – Oklahoma!
  • Hays High School –  The Sound of Music
  • Hutchinson High School – Seussical
  • Independence High School – The Addams Family: School Edition
  • Sterling High School – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
  • Topeka West High School – Between the Lines
  • Wichita Collegiate School – Les Misérables School Edition
  • Wichita High School East – Once Upon a Mattress

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

  • Ali Peterson (Stage Management) – Disney’s The Little Mermaid – Baldwin High School
  • Liesl Schulze (Lighting Design) – Seussical – Clearwater High School
  • Lexie Eubanks (Hair and Makeup Design) – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella – Emporia High School
  • Alana Carlson (Costume Design) – Seussical – Goddard High School
  • MJ Ashen (Lighting Design) – The Wizard of Oz – Labette County High School
  • Dale Freund (Costume Design) – Anything Goes – Maize South High School
  • Charli Weber (Costume Design) – Grease – Newton High School
  • Kaden Stoy (Sound Design) – Disney’s High School Musical – Ottawa High School
  • Anna Ozbun (Technical Direction) – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Nathan Bortnick (Technical Direction) – The SpongeBob Musical – Rock Creek High School
  • Addilyn Jagodzinske (Costume Design) – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Aiden Ramirez (Technical Direction) – The Wizard of Oz – Topeka High School
  • Kirvin Staley (Stage Management) – Between the Lines – Topeka West High School

SCENIC DESIGN

  • Ryleigh Brown, Jamie Oettle, Emerson Rhoten, Alanna Smith, and Isabel Zapata – Seussical – Goddard High School
  • Shauna Black – Oklahoma! – Halstead High School
  • Tobie Henline and Hannah Lounsbury – Seussical – Hutchinson High School
  • Cameron Long and Leon Vestering – The Addams Family: School Edition – Independence High School
  • Chuck Boyles – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Alyxandria Aldrich – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Eric Lundstrom – All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Katie Murphy – Between the Lines – Topeka West High School
  • Derrick Gronewold – Once Upon a Mattress – Wichita High School East
  • Garrett Ferraiz, Aiden Kirchmer, and Ezra Palmer – Alice by Heart Wichita Northeast Magnet High School

COSTUME DESIGN

  • Hadleigh Snyder and Rachel Norton – The SpongeBob Musical – Andover High School
  • Tony Rosales – Brigadoon – Bishop Carroll High School
  • Alana Carlson, Jamie Oettle, and Piper Wiebe – Seussical – Goddard High School
  • Claire Clifford – Oklahoma! – Halstead High School
  • Morgan Most – Seussical – Hutchinson High School
  • Charlee Barriger, Salem Miller, Eli Treiber, and Lillian Whittet The Addams Family: School Edition – Independence High School
  • Mackenzie Spears – Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka – Nickerson High School
  • Addilyn Jagodzinske – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Sheila Krohe and Mija Geering – The Wizard of Oz – Topeka High School
  • Sabrina Andress, Hannah Cunningham, and Clara Rusco – Once Upon a Mattress – Wichita High School East

LIGHTING DESIGN

  • Liesl Schulze – Seussical Clearwater High School
  • Annabelle Wise – Good News! – El Dorado High School
  • Jamie Oettle – Seussical – Goddard High School
  • Abby Inchauriga – Seussical – Hutchinson High School
  • MJ Ashen – The Wizard of Oz – Labette County High School
  • Dylan Fuller – Grease – Newton High School
  • Nathan Bortnick – The SpongeBob Musical – Rock Creek High School
  • Jack Ludlum – The Wizard of Oz – Topeka High School
  • Savannah Hess – Once Upon a Mattress – Wichita High School East
  • Ollie Sanneman -Alice by Heart –  Wichita Northeast Magnet High School

SOUND DESIGN

  • Cora Munn, Katie Sanders, and Lucy Skolaut – Brigadoon – Bishop Carroll High School
  • Bryce Myerhoff – Chicago: Teen Edition – Garden City High School
  • Levi Foreman and Gage Harris – The Addams Family: School Edition – Hugoton High School
  • Jaden Nash – The Wizard of Oz – Labette County High School
  • Matthew Ozbun – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Dominic Brosi and Guillermo Rodriguez – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Elvira High – The Addams Family: School Edition – Seaman High School
  • Echo Clark-Pavlovich – All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Emma Lockhart and Jake Pieplow – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Lily Jones and Jeremiah Mills – Once Upon a Mattress – Wichita High School East

DESIGN GUEST

  • Jocelyn Wilkinson (Scenic Design) – The SpongeBob Musical – Andover High School
  • Sarah Taylor & Angela Dorsey (Costume Design) – Disney’s The Little Mermaid – Baldwin High School
  • Sarah Kitzke, Shelby Martin, and Teresa Lewis (Scenic Design) – The Addams Family: School Edition – Hugoton High School
  • Sarah Kitzke, Shelby Martin, and Teresa Lewis (Costume Design) – The Addams Family: School Edition – Hugoton High School
  • Kyle Newby (Lighting Design) – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Wendi Foster (Program Design) – The SpongeBob Musical – Rock Creek High School
  • Eric Johnson (Lighting Design) – All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Betsy Dutton and Kristi Wilson (Costume Design) – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical – Sterling High School
  • Dan Harmon (Lighting Design) – Les Misérables School Edition – Wichita Collegiate School
  • Jordan Slusher (Scenic Design) – Les Misérables School Edition – Wichita Collegiate School

PROGRAM DESIGN

  • Sofia Guzman and Melissa Seiler – Brigadoon – Bishop Carroll High School
  • Virginia Duncan – Chicago: Teen Edition – Garden City High School
  • Ashley Finnell – The Addams Family: School Edition – Independence High School
  • Meena Ghosh and Dante Simmons – Anything Goes – Maize South High School
  • Eddie Darling – Hadestown: Teen Edition – Pittsburg High School
  • Sarah Day and Barbara Hilt – Into the Woods – Salina Central High School
  • Angela Dolezal & Eric Lundstrom – All Shook Up: School Edition – Smoky Valley High School
  • Katie Vaughn – The Wizard of Oz – Thomas More Prep-Marian
  • Kaylee Drews – Between the Lines – Topeka West High School
  • Ellie Beckler – Curtains: School Edition – Trinity Academy

LOBBY DISPLAY

El Dorado High School – Good News!
Hays High School – The Sound of Music
Hugoton High School – The Addams Family: School Edition
Independence High School – The Addams Family: School Edition
Newton High School – Grease
Rock Creek High School – The SpongeBob Musical
Smoky Valley High School – All Shook Up: School Edition
Topeka High School  – The Wizard of Oz
Wichita Collegiate School – Les Misérables School Edition
Wichita Northwest High School – Grease

The 24th Annual Jester Awards Ceremony will take place at Century II Performing Arts Center’s Convention
Hall in Wichita at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 3rd. The ceremony brings together thousands of students and
supporters for an afternoon of performances and shared celebration culminating in the awarding of prestigious
scholarships.

Tickets to the ceremony are $15 and available in advance (online only) or at the door.