The Freddys season is here!

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:22:57 GMT

The curtain will lift on the 2013 Freddy Awards season in just a few weeks with the first high school musical theater production.

Thirty high schools from Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania and Warren County, New Jersey, are scheduled to participate.

The first musicals in the season will begin Feb. 28-March 3 at Bangor, Southern Lehigh, Saucon Valley, Catasauqua, Easton and Moravian Academy high schools.

This is the 11th year of the Freddy Awards, which recognizes exceptional accomplishments in the production and performance of musical theater in high school.

This year's program includes a first time appearance by Lehigh Valley Christian High School, which will present "Annie" in April.

Click for a list of particpating school performances and ticket information and for a list of performances listed by date.

Nominations for the Freddy Awards will be announced later in the spring, and the winners will be announced in a three-hour television awards ceremony on Thursday, May 23 at the State Theatre in Easton.

The show will be broadcast live on WFMZ Channel 69 from 7-10 p.m., and streamed live on wfmz.com.

69News' Ed Hanna and Shelley Brown of the State Theatre will host the ceremony.

Most Valuable Players

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:30:16 GMT

This special will be broadcast on the Oprah Winfrey Network

Saturday, 9/10/11 at 10am

Wednesday, 9/14/11 at 8pm

Wednesday, 9/14/11 at 11pm

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS is a documentary that follows three high school theater troupes on their journey to the Freddy Awards ceremony - the Tony Awards for high school musicals. The film demonstrates that arts education encourages the same teamwork, camaraderie and confidence as sports. Across the USA, high school sports are regularly lavished with funding, publicity and scholarships, while theater departments struggle to put on the school musical hoping for some attention of their own. It's no different in the sports crazy Lehigh Valley, PA, except for the "Freddy Awards," a live television event that recognizes excellence in local high school musical theater. Illustrating that arts education encourages the same teamwork, camaraderie and confidence as sports, MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS follows three theater troupes on their creative journey to the elaborate award ceremony - the "Super Bowl" of high school musical theater. MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS demonstrates arts education in action, reminding us why the performing arts must remain vital in the lives of young people. In the face of shrinking budgets, schools and communities must band together to preserve and nurture arts education.