April 28, 2023
Theatre professors Stark and Cranford judge and present for Rio Grande Valley High School Palm Awards
Submitted by the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Ben Stark, theatre professor, and Jerry Jay Cranford, associate theatre professor, served as adjudicators for the 2022-2023 Rio Grande Valley High School Palm Awards in southern Texas.
The Palm Awards are the largest theatre awards in Texas, with 25 participating high schools and more than 40 submitted productions annually. Their mission is to foster the love of the arts locally through recognition, scholarship and support for high school arts programs.
To increase national visibility of the area talent, the Palm Awards President John R. Garza enlisted participation from the University of Texas-Austin, Kansas State University, Southern Methodist University, and George Washington University.
Stark provided feedback on musicals and their performance, design and technical aspects. Cranford reviewed the six best actor and six best actress nominations for lead performance in a musical. Cranford also will be traveling to south Texas to present a series of workshops to more than 800 participating students.