Madison, Wis. (May 16, 2025) — Overture Center for the Arts announced today that cast and crew members from Westfield Area High School have been nominated for awards through its Jerry Awards program. This is the third year the high school has participated in the Jerry Awards.
The program, named after Madison-area philanthropist and arts supporter W. Jerome Frautschi,
encourages, recognizes and honors excellence in musical theater. Over 100 high schools and community theaters from 31 Wisconsin counties participated in this year’s Jerry Awards.
Westfield Area High School’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” received the following nominations:
Benjamin Anason, Outstanding Lead Performance
Ron Anderson, Outstanding Scenic Design
Linda Metoxen, Outstanding Scenic Design
Katie Moody, Spirit Award
Patrick Mitchell, Spirit Award
This year, the program has 500-plus award recipients from 116 productions across the state. These productions were at schools of varying sizes with varying budgets.
“I continue to be impressed at the high quality of high school musical theater programs across our state,” said Tim Sauers, CO-CEO and Chief Artistic Experiences Officer. “I applaud them all for their dedication and commitment to ensuring that students have access to musical theater and the opportunity to excel.”
THE JERRY AWARDS is a high school musical awards program that encourages, recognizes and honors excellence in high school musical theater. The program began in the 2009/10 school year with 23 productions within 45 miles of Madison and has since expanded across the state through partnerships with Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and The Grand Theater. Educators and industry professionals review productions at Wisconsin high schools and/or community theater organizations and provide valuable feedback to students. In its first decade, the Jerry Awards engaged more than 700,000 students, teachers, theater professionals and community members.
Participation statistics for the 2024/25 season:
116 productions
102 schools/community theater organizations
33 counties
65 reviewers (three reviewers attended each production)
450+ students performing in annual awards shows in Overture Hall
116,000 people involved in the Jerry Awards through engagement with their local high school
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The program elevates the importance of musical theater within high schools. Students at participating high schools can also participate in The Jerry Ensemble, become student social influencers.
AWARDS SHOW – The 2024/25 Jerry Awards program will culminate in a show honoring student and school achievements, including performances by the Outstanding Award recipients, in Overture Hall on Sunday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m. Two outstanding lead performers will be selected to represent the program at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (Jimmy Awards) competition in New York City. Overture’s Jerry Awards are sponsored by American Girl’s Fund for Children and contributions to Overture Center.
OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Madison, Wis., features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, nine resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 500,000 educational and artistic experiences each year.
