Lake Michigan College Mendel Center

Thirteen local High Schools participated in the fifth annual WAVE Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre at the Mendel Center Jenkins Theatre on the Benton Harbor Campus, 2755 E. Napier Ave. on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. 

This year the WAVE Awards has grown to include students and arts educators from Berrien, Van Buren, and Cass Counties in Michigan and St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties in Indiana. The participating schools were evaluated by 10 adjudicators, and about 890 students participated in the musicals that were reviewed. 

"When we launched the WAVE Awards five years ago, we dreamed of creating something that would unite and elevate high school musical theatre across our community, and the growth we've seen over these years is proof that dream has taken hold," said Kristopher Zook, LMC Dean of Arts & Sciences and founder of the WAVE Awards. "With more participating schools than ever before, the energy and talent on display each year is extraordinary. This event has become a true celebration of what young artists can achieve."  

All nominees received an LMC Red Hawk Scholarship good for a three-credit course taken within the next four academic years and written feedback from a panel of arts professionals. The lead actor recipients also received $1,000 Sierra Loughrin Scholarships to participate in LMC Visual & Performing Arts coursework at LMC.  

Loosely designed after Broadway's famed Tony Awards, the WAVE Awards recognizes, encourages, and promotes high school theater. Individuals and productions from participating schools were nominated in 14 acting and technical categories. 

Wednesday's event began with red-carpet arrivals, followed by the awards ceremony, which included several musical production numbers. Students from all participating high schools and Lake Michigan College opened the night with a combined performance of I Hope I Get It from A Chorus Line, choreographed by Kelsey Trux. Concord HS performed Bring My Baby (Brother) Home from Freaky Friday, Edwardsburg HS performed Honey, Honey from Mamma Mia!, James Whitcomb Riley HS preformed the title song from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Lakeshore HS performed One Normal Night from The Addams Family Musical, Paw Paw HS performed Go, Go, Go, Joseph from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Penn HS performed All I’ve Ever Known/ Way Down Hadestown from Hadestown: Teen Edition, and South Haven HS performed Feel It Like Everyone from The Olympians: An Epic Muse-ical. 

Presenters included LMC President Dr. Ken Flowers, PBS/WNIT President Amanda Miller-Kelley, Education & Community Engagement Coordinator for the Wharton Center at MSU & Leader of the Sutton Foster Awards Ben English, LMC Dean of Student Life & Engagement Melissa Grau, LMC Visual Art Faculty and international author/curator, Susan Wilczak, Notre Dame Voice Faculty and international opera singer, Deborah Mayer, United Way of Southwest Michigan Campaign Relationship Coordinator Dawn Howley, Midwest Family of Southwest MI’s longtime host of Moody in the Morning radio show and Publisher Emeritus of Moody on the Market Pat Moody, Co-Founder and Conductor of the Southshore Concert Band Dale Reuss, Sasha Farber (Dancing With the Stars), Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars & Hallmark Channel Movies), Ciara Renée (Broadway’s Frozen, Pippin, and Waitress as well as DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash and Arrow TV series), Paige Davis (TLC’s Trading Spaces and Broadway’s Chicago and Beauty & the Beast), Patrick Page (Broadway’s Hadestown), Kathy Najimy (Sister Act and Hocus Pocus movies, King of the Hill) 

Participating High Schools and the musicals they performed are: 

• Brandywine Middle & High School - Beetlejuice, Jr.  

• Bridgman High School - Disney's Dare to Dream, Jr.  

• Concord High School – Disney's Freaky Friday  

• Dowagiac Union High School - Frozen, Jr.  

• Edwardsburg High School - Mamma Mia!  

• Hartford High School - Mean Girls: High School Version  

• James Whitcomb Riley High School – The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee  

• Lakeshore High School - The Addams Family Musical 

• New Buffalo Middle & High School - The Wizard of Oz  

• Paw Paw High School - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat  

• Penn High School - Hadestown: Teen Edition  

• South Haven High School - The Olympians: An Epic Muse-ical  

• St. Joseph High School - Grease 

Here is the complete list of the 2025-2026 WAVE Award winners and nominees:   

Outstanding Set Design in a Musical 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Scott Preheim 

• Dowagiac Union HS; “Frozen, Jr.,” Lincoln Clark 

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!” Kyle Rehnlund, Andrew Hamilton, & Emma Hurley - WINNER 

• Hartford HS; “Mean Girls: High School Version,” Hailey Cunningham 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Paul Milligan 

• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph ... Dreamcoat,” Kristofer M. Perkins & Avery McCafferty 

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Suzanne Button & Braden McMillen 

Outstanding Lighting Design in a Musical 

• Brandywine HS; “Beetlejuice, Jr.,” Garrett Stoneburner 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Scott Preheim 

• Dowagiac Union HS; “Frozen, Jr.,” Lincoln Clark - WINNER 

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!,” Emma Hurley & Kyle Rehnlund 

• New Buffalo; “The Wizard of Oz,” Lloyd Whitmyer 

• Paw Paw (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Kristofer M. Perkins 

• Penn; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Chase Beachy 

Outstanding Costume Design in a Musical 

• Concord HS: “Freaky Friday,” Stephanie Vaughan 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Jessica Wiersbe 

• New Buffalo HS; “The Wizard of Oz,” Deb Rancatore & Eliza Zook 

• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Claudia Lee  

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Kathryn Hein - WINNER 

• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Jessica Wiersbe 

• South Haven HS; “The Olympians,” Melanie Ruppert   

Outstanding Choreography in a Musical 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Heather Schoenherr 

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!,” Catherine Wood 

• Hartford HS; “Mean Girls: High School Version,” Cessie Finley  

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Cristian Marquez - WINNER 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Theresa Graziano  

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Jenn Wolfe 

• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Beth Gray 

Outstanding Orchestra (Band) in a Musical 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Nicole Knouse 

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!,” Jennifer Haynes 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Matthew Pagel 

• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Sydney Brown - WINNER 

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Zac Coudret 

• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Burke Lokey 

• South Haven HS; “The Olympians,” Jeff Bopp   

Outstanding Music Direction in a Musical 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” James Bennett 

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!,” Kyle Rehnlund 

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Kyle Schreiber & John Mink - WINNER 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” David Gailey  

• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” August Gallagher  

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Ethan Schopp 

• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Beth Gray 

Featured “Special” Award  

• Brandywine HS; “Beetlejuice,” The Sandworm - WINNER 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Angry Bob & Caspian 

• Dowagiac Union HS; “Frozen, Jr.,” Sven & Olaf 

• Hartford HS; Mean Girls: High School Version,” Damian & Janis’ wheels 
• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Leaf’s Sock Puppet 
• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Iguanodon Monster 
• New Buffalo HS; “The Wizard of Oz,” Flying Monkeys, & Winkies, & Jitterbugs... Oh, my!” 
• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” The Camel 
• St. Joseph HS; “Grease,” Greased Lightning 
• South Haven HS; “The Olympians,” Apollo’s Horses (& his Abs...) 

Outstanding Featured Ensemble in a Musical 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Police officers 

• Dowagiac Union HS; “Frozen, Jr.,” Pabbie, Bulba & the Rock Trolls 

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!,” The Dynamos & Wedding Guests 

• Hartford HS; “Mean Girls: High School Version,” The Plastics 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Ancestors 

• New Buffalo HS; “The Wizard of Oz,” Munchkins 

• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Joseph’s Brothers 

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” The Fates & Workers - WINNER 

• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Burger Palace Boys & Pink Ladies  

• South Haven HS; “The Olympians,” Greek Chorus & Featured Dancers 

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical     

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Mrs. Time – Keira Dykema 

• Dowagiac Union HS; “Frozen, Jr.,” Oaken – Madeline Steenbeke 

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,”  Ms. Midge Mahoney - Kelis Johnson 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Pugsley Addams - Laney Stempien -WINNER 

• New Buffalo HS; “The Wizard of Oz,” Wicked Witch of the West / Mrs. Gulch- Bianca Ilescas-Villa 

• New Buffalo HS; “The Wizard of Oz,” Professor Marvel / Oz - Aaron Ilescas-Villa 

• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Patty Simcox - Gianna McClellan  

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical (two awards given) 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Torrey – Skyler Balamucki  

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Fletcher Blake – Matthew Seabolt – WINNER (TIE) 

• Dowagiac Union HS; “Frozen, Jr.,” Kristoff – Brady Frazier  

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!,” Bill Austin – Lucas Bentzer  

• Hartford HS; “Mean Girls: High School Version,” Ms. Norbury – Valeria Perales 

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Leaf Coneybear - Babacar Thiam 

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre - Ella Farrough 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Alice Beineke - Kya Butcher 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Uncle Fester - Jorin Tabbert 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Lucas Beineke - Ian Sokol 
• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Pharaoh - Bryn Carlsen 
• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Jan – Ava Armstrong 
• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Marty – Elle Durocher 
• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Frenchy - Rose Lawrence - WINNER (TIE) 
• South Haven HS; “The Olympians,” Thalia - Katherine Cox - WINNER (TIE) 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical (two awards given) 

• Brandywine HS; “Beetlejuice, Jr,” Lydia - Hailey Amster  

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Katherine Blake – Sydney Trowbridge 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday,” Ellie Blake – Julia Witt 

• Dowagiac Union HS; “Frozen, Jr.,” Elsa – Makaylin Mauai 

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!,” Sophie Sheridan – Erin Solarek 

• Hartford HS; “Mean Girls: High School Version,” Cady Heron – Destiny Davis-Russell 

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Olive Ostrovsky - Cady Bango - WINNER 

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” William Barfee - Oliver Pollock 

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Gomez Addams - Camden King 

• New Buffalo HS; “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy Gale - Angelina Bryk 

• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Narrator – Kami Crandall 

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Eurydice - Meadow Mager 

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” Persephone - Riley Newcomer - WINNER
• Saint Joseph HS; “Grease,” Sandy Dombrowski - Zoey Owens 
• South Haven HS; “The Olympians,” Zoe - Drew Olney  
• South Haven HS; “The Olympians,” Lexi – Serenity Scully  

Esprit d’Corps*  

• Hartford HS; “Mean Girls: High School Version,” - WINNER 

Outstanding Direction in a Musical 

• Brandywine HS; “Beetlejuice, Jr.,” Daysha Amster 

• Dowagiac Union HS; “Frozen, Jr.,” Ryan Murray 

• Hartford HS; “Mean Girls: High School Version,” Hailey Cunningham 

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Meghan Beard  

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family,” Mikaela McLaughlin 

• New Buffalo HS; “The Wizard of Oz,” Chris Beushausen - WINNER 

• St. Joseph HS; “Grease,” Beth Gray 

Outstanding Musical Production 

• Concord HS; “Freaky Friday” 

• Edwardsburg HS; “Mamma Mia!” 

• James Whitcomb Riley HS; “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”  

• Lakeshore HS; “The Addams Family Musical” 

• Paw Paw HS; “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”  

• Penn HS; “Hadestown: Teen Edition” - WINNER 
• South Haven HS; “The Olympians: An Epic Muse-ical,” 

* The Esprit de Corps Award celebrates the cast and crew who elevate each other, who understand that true artistry often lies in collective effort, and who create harmony both on stage and behind the scenes. 

About Lake Michigan College 

Lake Michigan College is a comprehensive community college serving Berrien County and surrounding communities from its main campus in Benton Harbor, Michigan. LMC offers associate degrees, certificates, and workforce training programs designed to help students reach their academic and career goals. For more information, visit lakemichigancollege.edu.