Playhouse Square’s Dazzle Awards, presented by Pat and John Chapman and supported by PNC, marks its 10th anniversary this year.
This regional program offers arts education opportunities for students – both on stage and off stage – including professional master classes, audition workshops and apprenticeship programs. The yearlong program culminates every May with an awards ceremony honoring the work and dedication that it takes to get these productions from rehearsals to center stage.
“Since the inception of the Dazzle Awards, the program has served more than 16,700 students and 56 high schools throughout Northeast Ohio,” said Daniel Hahn, Playhouse Square’s vice president of education. “By offering learning opportunities like the Dazzle Awards for high school students, Playhouse Square is able to not only instill a passion and understanding for the arts, but also nurture those who may want to pursue this industry as a part of their future career. We are so grateful to Pat and John Chapman and PNC Bank for their ongoing support of the program.”
Hahn continued, “The students and schools continue to inspire us and raise the bar for excellence with their high school musical productions, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us during this milestone year.”
A record-breaking 38 Northeast Ohio high schools from seven counties are participating in the 2024-25 Dazzle Awards program:
The Akron School for the Arts at Firestone CLC
Andrews Osborne Academy
Archbishop Hoban High School
Aurora High School
Avon High School
Avon Lake High School
Bay High School
Brunswick High School
Buckeye High School
Chagrin Falls High School
CMSD All-City Musical
Eastlake North High School
Hathaway Brown School
Hawken School
Highland High School
Hudson High School
Independence High School
Lakewood High School
Lutheran West
Magnificat High School
Mayfield High School
Medina High School
Midview High School
Nordonia High School
Oberlin High School
Orange High School
Padua Franciscan High School
Rocky River High School
Saint Ignatius High School
Shaker Heights High School
Solon High School
Strongsville High School
Theodore Roosevelt High School
Thomas W. Harvey High School
Wadsworth High School
Walsh Jesuit High School
Western Reserve Academy
Willoughby South High School
"PNC's longstanding support of the arts reflects our belief that engagement in the arts enriches lives and builds stronger, more vibrant communities," said Pat Pastore, PNC regional president for Cleveland. “Our ongoing support of the Dazzle Awards and this milestone anniversary highlight not only an important arts education program, but celebrates the many incredible student achievements through their high school musical productions.”
The Dazzle Awards ceremony is taking place on May 17, 2025. Awards are presented to outstanding musical theater productions and students in 13 categories, including Best Musical, Best Actor/Actress, Best Student Orchestra, Best Costume Design and Best Scenic Design. Nominations and awards are based on the evaluations of an independent panel of adjudicators.
The Playhouse Square Dazzle Awards program, presented by Pat and John Chapman and supported by PNC, is affiliated with the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (“The Jimmy Awards”) presented by The Broadway League Foundation. The winners of the Best Actor and Actress categories will represent Northeast Ohio at The Jimmy Awards in summer 2025. More information is available online at playhousesquare.org/dazzleawards.
###
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
Playhouse Square, home to the largest Broadway season ticket holder community in North America, is Northeast Ohio's destination for entertainment. A not-for-profit performing arts center, Playhouse Square is a champion of arts education and downtown Cleveland, and proud to be the home of The City Club, Cleveland Ballet, Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland Play House, Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance, DANCECleveland, Great Lakes Theater and Tri-C JazzFest.
Follow @dazzleawards on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).