The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) announced the nominees in all 13 categories of the 2026 CAPA Marquee Awards presented by American Electric Power Foundation. Designed to recognize and celebrate the wealth of high-caliber musical theatre talent in central Ohio, this year-long, educational program offers selected high schools the opportunity to participate in professional theatre education activities throughout the school year.

During the 2025-26 school year, each of the 31 participating central Ohio high schools also submitted a musical theatre production for review by the program’s team of professional adjudicators. The team provided educationally focused feedback and evaluated students/productions for a CAPA Marquee Award in the categories of Best Musical Production, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Direction, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Dance Execution, Outstanding Student Orchestra, and Outstanding Technical Execution. Adjudicators evaluated hard-copy submissions in the categories of Backstage Excellence, Outstanding Student Designer, and National Student Reporter.

Nominees for the 2026 CAPA Marquee Awards are:

National Student Reporter Sponsored by Sinclair Broadcasting ABC6/FOX28/CW Columbus

• Alivia Lash, Hamilton Township High School
• Payton Theile, Bexley High School

Outstanding Student Orchestra Sponsored by The DiMarco Family Fund of The Columbus Foundation

• Dublin Coffman High School, Mamma Mia!
• Grove City High School, Chicago: Teen Edition 
• New Albany High School, Chicago: Teen Edition 
• Olentangy Orange High School, Mean Girls High School Version
• Worthington Kilbourne High School, Chicago: Teen Edition 

Backstage Excellence Sponsored by ImprovEdge

• Stage Managers, Marysville High School, Anything Goes 
• Publicity Crew, Olentangy Berlin High School, Disney’s Frozen
• Costume Crew, Olentangy Liberty High School, The Addams Family Musical
• Costume Crew, Westerville South High School, Les Misérables School Edition
• Co-Heads of Costume, Whetstone High School, The SpongeBob Musical 

Outstanding Student Designer Sponsored by The Pam and Jack Beeler Family Fund of The Columbus Foundation

• Fynn Asendorf, Arts and College Preparatory Academy, Sound Design, Mamma Mia!
• Darcy Hazzard, Centennial High School, Set Design, The Wizard of Oz (RSC Version) 
• Miranda Long, Hamilton Township High School, Costume & Props Design, Disney’s Frozen
• Leah Polsinelli, Jonathan Alder High School, Lighting Design, The Drowsy Chaperone
• Lily Wahl, Licking Heights High School, Lighting Design, The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Outstanding Technical Execution Sponsored by Mary Beth and Luke McCormick

• Marysville High School, Anything Goes, Stage Manager: Johanna Olofsson
• New Albany High School, Chicago: Teen Edition, Stage Managers: Margaret Farrell & Casper Green
• Westerville South High School, Les Misérables School Edition, Stage Manager: Rachel Kuta
• Fairfield Union High School, Bye Bye Birdie, Stage Manager: Raegan Elson
• Pickerington High School Central, Mamma Mia!, Stage Manager: Isabella Peirano

Best Actress in a Supporting Role Sponsored by Huntington

• Audrey Barr, Fairfield Union High School, Ursula Merkle in Bye Bye Birdie
• Bella Hines-Chapman, Eastmoor Academy High School, Carla in In the Heights
• Gabby Muñoz, Whetstone High School, Pearl Krabs in The SpongeBob Musical
• Ani Olsheski, Bexley High School, Little Becky Two Shoes in Urinetown
• Julia Yoder, Bishop Watterson High School, Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch, The Wizard of Oz (RSC Version)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role Sponsored by Electrical Service Professionals

• Dillon Childers, Fairfield Union High School, Hugo Peabody in Bye Bye Birdie
• Malachi Gullick, Eastmoor Academy High School, Sonny in In the Heights
• Asher Light, Westerville South High School, Enjolras in Les Misérables School Edition
• Elwyn Saiter, Jonathan Alder High School, Underling in The Drowsy Chaperone
• Jacob Thomas, Worthington Christian School, Julien Dufayel in Amélie: Teen Edition

Outstanding Dance Execution Sponsored by The McCurdy Family Foundation  

• Eastmoor Academy High School, In the Heights
• Grove City High School, Chicago: Teen Edition
• Jonathan Alder High School, The Drowsy Chaperone
• Marysville High School, Anything Goes
• New Albany High School, Chicago: Teen Edition 

Outstanding Ensemble Sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, N.A.

• Eastmoor Academy High School, In the Heights
• Grove City High School, Chicago: Teen Edition
• Hamilton Township High School, Disney’s Frozen
• Jonathan Alder High School, The Drowsy Chaperone
• Marysville High School, Anything Goes

Best Direction Sponsored by Denison University

• Brianna Bizzaro, Marysville High School, Anything Goes
• Matthew Gregory, Fairfield Union High School, Bye Bye Birdie  
• Seth Harms, Eastmoor Academy High School, In the Heights 
• Elliott Lemberg, New Albany High School, Chicago: Teen Edition
• Liz O’Dorisio, Bishop Watterson High School, The Wizard of Oz (RSC Version)

Best Actress in a Leading Role Sponsored by Johnson Investment Counsel

• Ava Baker, New Albany High School, Matron Mama Morton in Chicago: Teen Edition
• Allyson Carroll, Pickerington High School North, Carrie White in Carrie: The Musical
• Katelyn Kieninger, New Albany High School, Roxie Hart in Chicago: Teen Edition
• Cecilia Langhals, Marysville High School, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes
• Amaya Washington, Reynoldsburg High School, Leading Player in Pippin Revival Version

Best Actor in a Leading Role Sponsored by Danbert, Inc.

• Lucas Langhals, Marysville High School, Moonface Martin in Anything Goes
• Kyle Meadows, Eastmoor Academy High School, Benny in In the Heights  
• Zeke Moses, Bexley High School, Bobby Strong in Urinetown
• Drew Wintersteller, New Albany High School, Amos Hart in Chicago: Teen Edition
• Jimmy Zolkowski, Upper Arlington High School, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family Musical: School Edition

Best Musical Production

• Eastmoor Academy High School, In the Heights
• Marysville High School, Anything Goes
• New Albany High School, Chicago: Teen Edition
• Upper Arlington High School, The Addams Family Musical: Teen Edition
• Westerville South High School, Les Misérables School Edition

The CAPA Marquee Awards will culminate in a live student showcase at the Ohio Theatre on Wednesday, May 13, at 7:30 pm. The event will announce the winners of each category and include performances from the nominees for Best Musical Production, Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Actress in a Leading Role, as well as opening and closing numbers that incorporate students from all participating high schools. A student technical team will also work backstage.  

Tickets are $15 for students and $25 for adults and can be purchased in-person at the CAPA Ticket Center at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.), online at www.CAPAMarqueeAwards.com or by phone at (614) 469-0939.

Students selected as Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Leading Role will be designated as official Jimmy Award® nominees for “Jimmys Week,” a theatre intensive led by Broadway professionals and industry experts, and compete on the national level for the 2026 Jimmy Awards® for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.

The Jimmy Awards®/National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®) is a celebration of student achievement in high school musical theatre across the country, spotlighting the next generation of Broadway talent. The program impacts over 180,000 students who participate in 58 regional high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $9,000,000 in educational scholarships since its launch in 2009, and over 90 alumni have performed on Broadway and in National Tours. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, Inc., the NHSMTA invites two nominees from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a rigorous theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway’s most accomplished professionals. Nominees will spend 10 days in New York City from Friday, June 12, 2026, through Tuesday, June 23, 2026, and their experience will culminate in an extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. The 17th annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 22, 2026, at the Minskoff Theatre. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.