By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

Thirty-nine high schools from 11 counties are represented among the 90 nominees for the 2nd annual Shuler Hensley Awards For Excellence in High School Musical Theatre, announced Tuesday night at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

The Hensley Awards honor musical theater excellence at metro Atlanta high schools. The undertaking is an initiative of the ARTSBRIDGE education program of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation.

A team of 25 Atlanta-based arts professionals evaluated the high school productions. Winners will be announced at a Tony Awards-style ceremony at 7 p.m. April 13 at the Cobb Energy Centre. The show will feature an opening number starring Tony Award-winning, Marietta native Hensley (”Oklahoma!” “Tarzan,” “Young Frankenstein”), numbers from the six nominated shows for overall excellence, as well as award presentations by local and national luminaries. (Tickets: $10 at Ticketmaster, ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000, or the Cobb Energy box office.)

The complete list of nominees:

ENSEMBLE OR CHORUS

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Carver School of the Arts

“Beauty and the Beast”

Milton High School

“Grease”

Sandy Creek High School

“Les Miserables”

Tri-Cities High School

“Once on This Island”

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

MUSIC DIRECTION

Kim Peeples

Brookwood High School

“Thoroughly Modern Millie”

Kate Murray

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

Frank Timmerman

Pebblebrook High School

“Aida”

Millie Turek

Sandy Creek High School

“Les Miserables”

Susan Boone

Walton High School

“Crazy for You”

Eric Gray

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

CHOREOGRAPHY

Lindsay Chmura

Alpharetta High School

“The Wedding Singer”

Sherry Weeks

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Ricardo Aponte

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School

“Grease”

Cindy Mora

Pebblebrook High School

“Aida”

Dawn Axam

Tri-Cities High School

“Once on This Island”

Susan Boone, Allie Fogel, Jaime Leff, Allison Schwartz, Angie Zhang

Walton High School

“Crazy for You”

SCENE DESIGN

Arsalan Akhavan

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Rhonda Fossum, Taylor Dyleski

John’s Creek High School

“Guys and Dolls”

Simeon Jones

Milton High School

“Grease”

Kristi Ogle

Roswell High School

“My Fair Lady”

Bill Schreiner

The Walker School

“The Music Man”

Eric Gray

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

COSTUME DESIGN

Sherry Weeks

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Katherine Alexander

Mill Creek High School

“Seussical”

Lauren Jenkins

North Springs Charter High School

“Little Shop of Horrors”

Tami Gallagher

Pebblebrook High School

“Aida”

Jane Price Harmon

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

Katie Black, Jessica Haswell

Walton High School

“Crazy for You”

LIGHTING DESIGN

Harley Gould

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School

“Grease”

Taylor Dyleski

John’s Creek High School

“Guys and Dolls”

Simeon Jones

Milton High School

“Grease”

Stephen Sharp

Northview High School

“The Music Man”

Shana Giles, Nathan Berke

South Forsyth High School

“Little Shop of Horrors”

Arlie Martin

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

STAGE CREW AND TECHNICAL EXECUTION

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School

“Grease”

Northview High School

“The Music Man”

South Forsyth High School

“Little Shop of Horrors”

The Walker School

“The Music Man”

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

ORCHESTRA OR ACCOMPANIMENT

Alpharetta High School

“The Wedding Singer”

Creekview High School

“Once Upon a Mattress”

Greater Atlanta Christian

“Snoopy”

North Cobb Christian School

“Seussical”

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

The Walker School

“The Music Man”

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Parker Rehklau

Alpharetta High School

“The Wedding Singer”

Lorenzo Gonzalez-Lamasonne

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Danny Bevens

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

Wes Nichols

Riverwood International Charter High School

“Anything Goes”

Paul Merrill

Sandy Creek High School

“Les Miserables”

Karl Boss

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Lindsay Albano

Alpharetta High School

“The Wedding Singer”

Hannah Harte

Greater Atlanta Christian School

“Snoopy”

Katherine Reece

Northview High School

“The Music Man”

Alex Waldon

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

Claire Golden

The Walker School

“The Music Man”

Emily Diamond

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

FEATURED PERFORMER

Sarah Bess Jones

Brookwood High School

“Thoroughly Modern Millie”

Joe Busch

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School

“Grease”

Tommy Dorfman

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

Erin DeBell

The Walker School

“The Music Man”

Meghan Freeman, Jasmine Lewis

Tri-Cities High School

“Once on This Island”

Matt Salvatore

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

LEADING ACTOR

Arsalan Akhavan

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Jacob Askren

Northview High School

“The Music Man”

Jeremy Shaffer

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

Jesse Alexander

Sandy Creek High School

“Les Miserables”

Conner Crank

Walton High School

“Crazy for You”

Mitchell Jones

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

LEADING ACTRESS

Callie McCrae

Brookwood High School

“Thoroughly Modern Millie”

Rachel Walls

John’s Creek High School

“Guys and Dolls”

Christiana Pitts

North Atlanta High School

“High School Musical 2″

Stephanie Earl

Sandy Creek High School

“Les Miserables”

Alexandria Payne

Tri-Cities High School

“Once on This Island”

Danielle Girardeau

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

DIRECTION

David Gay

Alpharetta High School

“The Wedding Singer”

Rob Warren

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Renee Denney

Milton High School

“Grease”

Jane Price Harmon

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

Dawn Axam

Tri-Cities High School

“Once on This Island”

Eric Gray

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”

OVERALL PRODUCTION

Atlanta International School

“Oliver”

Milton High School

“Grease”

The Paideia School

“The Mikado”

Pebblebrook High School

“Aida”

Sandy Creek High School

“Les Miserables”

West Forsyth High School

“Beauty and the Beast”