The Heller Awards for Young Artists, also known as HAYA, celebrates excellence in high school musical theater and recognize the dedication and diligence of students across Central Texas. Each year, performers, musicians and technicians are honored for contributing to their school productions.

Nominees were revealed Feb. 23, and winners will be announced April 16. Among this year’s nominees from the theater department’s “Titanic” performance is senior Charlotte Adair, who was nominated for Stage Management, junior Grayson Levee, Best Lead Performer nominee and senior Clara Rabago, nominated as Best Orchestra member, along with the orchestra itself as Best Orchestra. Junior Ryan Fontain was nominated for Lighting Design and Student Design and director Lisa Holt was nominated for Best Musical Direction.

“This will be my third time being nominated for [the Stage Management] award,” Adair said. “I even won it last year. With all the things we do for theater competitions like UIL, there’s not a lot of tech acknowledgement during the process. Being able to be recognized for stage management specifically is something I find really interesting.” 

The HAYA awards, established to recognize the hard work and talent of students, directors and the production teams, is modeled after Broadway’s “Tony Awards.” For the past two years, the theater department has had a nominee for best male lead, making Levee the third in a row.

“Personally, [the award] is a huge achievement,” Levee said. “Especially since theater is not my main hobby, it allows me to know that I can do multiple things and not be limited in terms of the theater program.”

The nomination process for the Student Stage Manager includes being recommended by the theater directors personally. For other nominations, professional judges attend and evaluate participating schools’ musical productions and score performances based on criteria such as vocal ability, acting, stage presence and overall execution.

“I think what makes the orchestra stand out this year is that we have never previously had an orchestra,” Rabago said. “Leander ISD is one of the few districts with no orchestra program, so it is incredible what we were able to do by pulling together various fine arts students from not just our school, but two students from Westwood.”

The program aims to raise awareness of high school theater communities and prides itself on celebrating professionalism, dedication and ethical standards.

“I can get nominated by doing all my work,” Adair said. “But I can only focus on my jobs if my ASM team, the tech team or the cast can listen to me and help me help them. A lot of the tech and acting elements are separate, so the stage manager is like the bridge to that gap and being able to help that communication is something I really enjoy.”

Nominees for Best Lead Performer have the opportunity to compete at the Jimmy Awards in New York City. The program offers student scholarships and summer-intensive opportunities, aiding in their artistic growth.

“After the show I was fairly confident [about the award],” Levee said. “The more that I saw the other performers and the closer we got to awards, the less confident I got that I’d be nominated but it feels amazing. I’m so excited to be able to work with other people who are passionate about doing this.”

The Heller program honors Seymour Heller, a founder of the Talent Managers Association. He represented a large range of individuals and each year these awards recognize the talent and dedication Heller lived for.

“I think I can speak for all of us when I say we were really excited,” Rabago said. “[The orchestra] all really wanted to get this award since we have never previously been eligible for it, and it felt awesome to be recognized.”