Students and faculty from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts brought home multiple accolades from the 12th annual Applause Awards, which took place in the Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Philips Center for Performing Arts on Saturday, May 30.
In addition to wins in the Outstanding Leads category, DA alumna Abby Harrell and rising junior Josef Wright also won the coveted honor of representing the Florida region in the 2026 Jimmy Awards.
The evening included live performances by winners in the Outstanding Musical category, which included Douglas Anderson students performing a number from their production of “On the Town.”
Along with a win in the Outstanding Musical category, Douglas Anderson students and faculty were recognized in 15 other categories, including Outstanding Lead Performers (Abby Harrell, Alayna Martus, Ava Chung and Josef Wright), Outstanding Singers (Trey Murphy) and Outstanding Dancers (Brady Massey and Yahir Perez), among others.
The evening represented record-breaking participation in the program, which launched in 2015, featuring more than 400 students from nearly 50 high schools across 11 counties. In addition to recognizing and celebrating these outstanding performers, this year’s Applause Awards also awarded more than $221,000 in scholarships.
Outstanding Musical:
“On the Town”
Outstanding Ensemble Winners:
“On the Town”
Outstanding Lead Performers:
Abby Harrell, playing Hildy Esterhazy in “On the Town”
Alayna Martus, playing Percy Talbott in “The Spitfire Grill”
Ava Chung, playing Claire de Loone in “On the Town”
Josef Wright, playing Ozzie in “On the Town”
Outstanding Supporting Performers:
Daniel Goldman, playing First Workman in “On the Town”
Kennedy Moore, playing Madame Maude P. Dilly in “On the Town”
Lexie Hall, playing Effy Krayneck in “The Spitfire Grill”
Outstanding Singer Winners:
Trey Murphy, playing Sheriff Joe Sutter in “The Spitfire Grill”
Outstanding Dancer Winners:
Brady Massey, playing Chip in “On the Town”
Yahir Perez, Ensemble Member in “On the Town”
Outstanding Choreography Winners:
Ellie Potts Barrett* “On the Town”
Outstanding Set Design Winners:
Audrey Dunham, “The Spitfire Grill”
Outstanding Lighting Design Winners:
Bob Robins* and Damien Mathews “The Spitfire Grill”
Outstanding Sound Design Winners:
Mona Combes and Rick Painter*, “On the Town”
Valerya Nedviga* and Reese Walker, “The Spitfire Grill”
Outstanding Costume Design Winners:
Audrey Dunham and Tracy Olin* “On the Town”
Outstanding Stage Management Winners:
Alyssa Louis and Camden Fretz, “On the Town”
Outstanding Orchestra Winners:
Brian Griffin, “On the Town”
Applause Awards Ceremony Student Orchestra Pit Musicians:
Abrielle Finley, percussion
Finley Gomez, oboe
Fiona Redman, violin
Vir Ghose, French horn
Outstanding Music Direction Winners:
Joshua Cook*, “The Spitfire Grill” and “On the Town”
Outstanding Direction Winners:
Joe Kemper*, “On the Town”
Michael Beaman*, “The Spitfire Grill”
* denotes adult winner
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