PPAC Celebrates the 2025/2026 Ocean State Star Awards Winners
AWARD-WINNING HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMERS TAKE THE STAGE AT PPAC IN A LIVE SHOWCASE ON SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2026 at 6:30P
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AT PPACRI.ORG/OSSA26
Providence, RI – The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025/2026 Ocean State Star Awards (OSSA) program. These winners will be recognized and honored on the PPAC stage during a live Showcase event on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 6:30P. A community outreach initiative of PPAC, the Ocean State Star Awards celebrate the talent, dedication and passion of students and educators, both onstage and behind the scenes, in high school musical theatre programs throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. This season, 22 high schools and 29 musicals participated in the program. Students and adults were recognized across 18 performance and technical categories; each production was evaluated by an adjudication team made up of theatre educators, professionals and aficionados.
Six productions earned the program’s highest honor of Outstanding Musical:
| School | Town | Show |
| Bishop Hendricken High School | Warwick, RI | THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL |
| Joseph Case High School | Swansea, MA | JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT |
| South Kingstown High School | South Kingstown, RI | THE PROM |
| St. Mary Academy – Bay View | East Providence, RI | SHREK THE MUSICAL |
| West Warwick High School | West Warwick, RI | ANASTASIA |
| West Warwick High School | West Warwick, RI | THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY |
Twenty female performers received the award for Outstanding Lead: Actress and fifteen male performers were recognized with the award for Outstanding Lead: Actor. Additional performance awards were given for Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Supporting Performer, Outstanding Acting Performer, Outstanding Youth Performer, Outstanding Dance Performer and Honorable Mention in Performance.
Technical award categories include Outstanding Technical Achievement, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Music Director, Outstanding Stage Manager, Outstanding Orchestra, Outstanding Choreographer, Outstanding Set Designer, Outstanding Lighting Designer, Outstanding Sound Designer, Outstanding Costume Designer and Honorable Mention in Technical Achievement.
A musical number from five out of the six Outstanding Musicals will be showcased during the Ocean State Star Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 6:30P. Throughout the evening, students honored for their achievements in acting, dance and performance will shine in a series of high-energy group performance medleys and the winners in each category will also receive their awards on stage.
The Showcase will culminate with the announcement of two Outstanding Lead Performers and two Alternate Lead Performers who will have the exciting opportunity to represent the state of Rhode Island at the prestigious national Jimmy Awards® in New York City. Performing in the Jimmy Awards® is a distinct honor for young people, as countless current Broadway performers have begun their careers at the Jimmy Awards®.
Tickets for the Ocean State Star Awards Showcase are available at ppacri.org/OSSA26. Students may purchase tickets for $22 with code OSSA26 (price is inclusive of all fees). A valid student ID is required for pickup at the PPAC Box Office.
Please visit ppacri.org/ossa for a complete list of winners across all 18 award categories.
PPAC congratulates all of the high schools, students and creative teams for participating in the program and for all of their hard work in bringing musical theatre to life this season:
| School | Town | Show |
| Arts Alive! | Barrington, RI | INTO THE WOODS — Sincere Cast |
| INTO THE WOODS — Charming Cast | ||
| Bishop Hendricken High School | Warwick, RI | THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL |
| Coventry High School | Coventry, RI | MATILDA THE MUSICAL |
| Cranston High School East | Cranston, RI | THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL |
| Cranston High School West | Cranston, RI | THE ADDAMS FAMILY: School Edition |
| Cumberland High School | Cumberland, RI | HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL |
| East Greenwich High School | East Greenwich, RI | BETWEEN THE LINES — Blue Cast |
| BETWEEN THE LINES — Gold Cast | ||
| Joseph Case High School | Swansea, MA | THE LAST FIVE YEARS |
| MAMMA MIA! — Cast A | ||
| MAMMA MIA! — Cast Z | ||
| JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT | ||
| Mount St. Charles Academy | Woonsocket, RI | THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL |
| Narragansett High School | Narragansett, RI | YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (Revised) |
| North Kingstown High School | North Kingstown, RI | ANYTHING GOES |
| North Providence High School | North Providence, RI | LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS — BROADWAY VERSION |
| Norton High School | Norton, MA | FREAKY FRIDAY |
| Rocky Hill Country Day School | East Greenwich, RI | LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS |
| Seekonk High School | Seekonk, MA | THE SOUND OF MUSIC |
| Smithfield High School | Smithfield, RI | FOOTLOOSE |
| Somerset Berkley Regional High School | Somerset, MA | CHICAGO: Teen Edition |
| South Kingstown High School | South Kingstown, RI | THE PROM |
| St. Mary Academy - Bay View | East Providence, RI | SHREK THE MUSICAL |
| The Wheeler School | Providence, RI | NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 |
| West Warwick High School | West Warwick, RI | THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY |
| ANASTASIA | ||
| Westerly High School | Westerly, RI | [TITLE OF SHOW] |
| NEXT TO NORMAL |
About the Providence Performing Arts Center
Located in the heart of Providence’s arts and entertainment district, the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) presents top-notch touring Broadway productions, comedy shows and concerts. Since 2008, 24 national tours have launched at PPAC. OPERATION MINCEMEAT: A NEW MUSICAL will be the 25th when it launches in September 2026.
PPAC is the second largest theatre of its kind in New England, with a seating capacity of 3100. The Loew’s Theatre Building, which is the historic home of PPAC, opened in October 1928 and is acclaimed for its stunning architectural design and grandeur. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977, PPAC consistently ranks among the top ten entertainment venues of its size nationwide, according to Pollstar /Venues Now and Billboard Magazine.
In addition to presenting all types of theatrical presentations, dance, comedy, concerts and more, PPAC is committed to providing the communities of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts with extensive educational and community outreach and engagement programs.
Learn more about PPAC at www.ppacri.org
About the Jimmy Awards®/ The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®)
The Jimmy Awards®/National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®) is a celebration of student achievement in high school musical theatre across the country, spotlighting the next generation of Broadway talent. The program impacts over 180,000 students who participate in 58 regional high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $9,000,000 in educational scholarships since its launch in 2009, and over 90 alumni have performed on Broadway and in National Tours. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, Inc., the NHSMTA invites two nominees from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a rigorous theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway’s most accomplished professionals. Nominees will spend ten days in New York City from Friday, June 12, 2026, through Tuesday, June 23, 2026, and their experience will culminate in an extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. The seventeenth annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 22, 2026, at the Minskoff Theatre. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.
Presented by The Broadway League Foundation Inc., the NHSMTA invites two nominees from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a 10-day theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway’s most accomplished professionals. Their experience will culminate in an extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. For more information, please visit JimmyAwards.com.
