Broadway Babies

Rising stars win awards and scholarships from Dallas Summer Musicals

What: The 8th annual Dallas Summer Musicals High School Musical Theatre Awards

Where: Music Hall at Fair Park

The 411: High school students, parents, friends, arts advocates, celebrities, and city officials from all over North Texas gathered for a junior-size version of Broadway's Tony Awards, where scholarships were the main prize. The DSM HSMTA accepts schools as far away as Lubbock and Oklahoma, along with as new and returning schools from Dallas-Fort Worth. The program has grown to be the largest of its kind in the state of Texas, and one of the largest programs in the nation.

Nominees were chauffeured to the Music Hall by RideCentric and then walked the red carpet while photographers snapped away and media cameras from WFAA Channel 8 streamed live. Emcee Teresa Woodard introduced the opening number, specially arranged to showcase each individual category and accompanied by a live professional orchestra conducted by music director Mark Brymer.

The crowd cheered on their favorite Best Musical nominee performances, while the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees performed medleys choreographed by Penny Ayn Maas.

Awards were presented in 19 categories, and 14 scholarships were awarded to outstanding graduating seniors nominated by their teachers and selected by the DSM scholarship committee. This year's college scholarship program consisted of seven Ambassador Scholarships at $2,000 each, five Theater Major Scholarships (in all areas of theater) at $5,000 each, and two $5,000 scholarships for the winners in the Best Leading Actor and Best Leading Actress categories.

The Best Musical award went to Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy's production of Bullets Over Broadway, while Frenship High School's Coby Rogers and Guyer High School's Haley Dortch won Best Actor and Best Actress. Each will receive a $5,000 scholarship and an all-expenses paid trip for five days to New York City to represent their high school in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the Jimmy Awards) on June 24, hosted by Dear Evan Hansen's Ben Platt.

Broadway performer Hunter Ryan Herdlicka was the recipient of this year's Fullinwider Award for his impact in the Dallas theater community and beyond. Herdlicka is a Dallas native and graduate of Plano West Senior High School. He's best known for his nearly two-year run as Henrik in the Tony Award-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury, followed by Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch.

The show was topped off with a shower of popping streamers and a finale of more than 100 performers made up of students from each participating high school.

Who: Tina Walsh, Glynis Brault, Dallas Summer Musicals president Kenneth T. Novice, and DSM HSMTA director Tracy Jordan.

Rogers, DSM president Kenneth T. Novice, and Dortch.

Coby Rogers (Frenship HS), Ken Novice, Haley Dortch (Guyer HS)

Photo by Chris Waits

Rogers, DSM president Kenneth T. Novice, and Dortch.

Hollywood angels

Farrah Fawcett's besties raise big bucks for cancer fight in Dallas

Photo courtesy of Farrah Fawcett Foundation

Libby Hunt, Alana Stewart, Linda Gray

Fifteen years after Farrah Fawcett's death, the Hollywood legend's foundation fights on to fund cancer research and care for patients nationwide. For the third year, they brought their efforts to Dallas, to the 2024 Farrah Fawcett Foundation Tex-Mex Fiesta.

Held on a picture-perfect night outdoors at The Rustic on October 24, the benefit brought together a few hundred Dallas patrons and TV stars, including some of Fawcett's best friends. Co-chairs Alana Stewart (Fawcett's BFF) and Linda Gray (of Dallas) held court over the event, with help from special guest George Hamilton and actor Lawrence Zarian. Libby and David Hunt were the Dallas-based event chairs.

Hollywood stars Morgan Fairchild and Sheree Wilson also walked the red carpet; unfortunately, Fawcett's fellow Charlie's AngelJaclyn Smith and their friend Donna Mills had to cancel their appearances, it was announced from stage, due to scheduling conflicts filming the new ABC series Doctor Odyssey.

Guests were welcomed with a mariachi band and photo opps with burros; DJ 13lackbeard kept the party upbeat. They filled up on a Tex-Mex "surf and turf" buffet, and signature margaritas and ranch waters flowed all night.

The Rustic, Farrah Fawcett Foundation 2024 Tex-Mex Fiesta The event took place outdoors at The Rustic.Photo courtesy of Farrah Fawcett Foundation

About the time servers passed out mini versions of The Rustic's famous peanut butter pie and banana pudding, tributes to Fawcett began, underscoring the event's purpose.

Fawcett passed away on June 25, 2009, of anal cancer; the one-time Hollywood "It Girl" was just 62.

"Farrah fought with great strength and compassion, and she said with great sincerity, 'It has humbled me by giving me a true understanding of what millions of others face each day in their own fight against cancer,'" Stewart told the audience. "We will be victorious in that fight and we will not give up until Farrah's dream is realized. How can we lose? We've got Texas on our side, and nothing is more powerful than a Texas heart."

In a heartfelt moment, Gray - known best as tough-as-nails Sue Ellen Ewing on Dallas - said that her son had recently died of cancer. "And it just shook me to my core," she said. "This disease has got to be stopped."

Dr. Lawrence Piro, Fawcett’s former oncologist and chief medical advisor for the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, drove home the importance of the evening’s fundraising efforts. Fawcett's foundation is her greatest legacy, he and her friends agreed.

Dallas philanthropists Anne and Steve Stodghill were honored with the foundation's “Angel Award” for their work with cancer-related initiatives, including Cattle Baron's Ball (which Anne chaired in 2017).

A live auction raised hundreds of thousands of dollars with unique packages including:

Lunch and cocktails with George Hamilton the following day at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and a $5,000 Neiman Marcus shopping spree (sold for $15,000)
A five-night getaway for six to St. Barth's (three sold for $15,000 each)
A seven-night excursion to Tuscany (three sold for $13,000) each
A one-of-a-kind work of Farrah Fawcett pop art (sold for $10,000)
A meet-and-greet with rocker Rod Stewart at his show in Las Vegas (sold for $12,500)
A trip to Los Angeles for a "Hollywood Experience" including lunch with Dame Joan Collins (sold for $10,000)

The Farrah Fawcett Foundation, George Hamilton George Hamilton gets the crowd bidding on the chance to have lunch with him the following day.Photo courtesy of The Farrah Fawcett Foundation

For music fans, the highlight of the night was a rousing set by country legend Wynonna Judd. Backed by her band (including her drummer-husband Cactus Moser), she got the crowd on their feet, dancing to hits like "I Saw the Light," "She Is His Only Need," and "No One Else on Earth."

At the end of the night, each guest took home a stylish burlap party bag, courtesy of sponsor Neiman Marcus, filled with red carpet-worthy luxury skincare products.

Final receipts are still being tallied, but all proceeds will go to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the American Cancer Society’s Dallas Cattle Baron’s Ball to fund the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge.

$Farrah Fawcett Foundation Tex-Mex Fiesta 2024, \u200bLibby Hunt, Alana Stewart, Linda Gray$

Photo courtesy of Farrah Fawcett Foundation

Libby Hunt, Alana Stewart, Linda Gray

celebrities farrah fawcett tex-mex fiesta fundraisers cattle baron's ball jerry jones galas