PHS students state-level award finalists

PORTALES — A pair of Portales High School students are state-level finalists for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards.

Logan Grady and Landon Grawrock are two of 18 students competing statewide for best actor in the New Mexico Enchantment Awards.

The competition will be judged following the streaming show 7 p.m. May 21 and announced live that night.

Terry Davis, co-producer for the Enchantment Awards, said due to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out most opportunities at theater performance, students registered for the program and auditioned via Zoom.

Davis told The News the last year has been a difficult one for theater students, and restrictions on gatherings mean they’ve had a less than ideal scenario to learn the craft. The pandemic wiped out last year’s Enchantment Awards.

“We hope that, by hosting our awards program again this year, even if virtually,” Davis said, “we give the students in Portales and across the state something positive as a cap to this very isolating year.”

A total of 28 students — the 18 best actor nominees and 10 best actress nominees — will be part of the state competition. The best actor and actress will move on to the awards the NHSMTA dubs the Jimmy Awards — set to be held virtually with a July 15 streaming.

“As a contestant in the Jimmy Awards, our two nominees to the national program will compete for over a dozen scholarships,” Davis said. “More than that, they get to work with some of the best people in musical theater and join students from across the country who have a mutual love of musical theater. They'll perform in one large opening number and another number where they will sing solo segments. They could be chosen to sing a full solo as finalists for the Jimmy Awards judges, who often include leading casting directors, producers, and musical theater artists.”

The Portales students are taught by Melody Gallagher.

Information: enchantmentawards.org