Modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards®, Walton Arts Center’s second annual Diamond Awards recognize achievement and excellence in musical theater.
Twelve local high schools are participating in this year’s program. Their productions are being adjudicated now by industry professionals. Then finalists from each school’s production will come together for a weekend of training with local music and dance professionals, culminating in the Diamond Awards Ceremony in Baum Walker Hall on Saturday, May 23 at 5 pm.
The schools and their qualifying musical productions are:
Alma High School, Footloose the Musical
Arkansas Arts Academy High School, Seussical
Bentonville High School, Secret Garden
Bentonville West High School, Frozen
Clarksville High School, Little Women the Musical
Farmington High School, Legally Blonde the Musical
Har-Ber High School, Matilda
Harrison High School, Footloose the Musical
Rogers High School, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical
Southside High School, Big Fish: School Edition
Van Buren High School, Shrek the Musical
Greenwood High School, Tarzan
The ceremony will feature performances by cast members from the productions, and awards will be presented for best actor and actress, best supporting performers, best ensemble performance, the Sparkle Award for outstanding educator and the student-voted spirit of the Diamond Award.
The Diamond Awards qualify the best actress and actor winners to receive training from Broadway professionals and compete alongside nominees from 54 other regional high school musical theater awards competitions in New York City at the Broadway League Foundation’s National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, “The Jimmy Awards®" this summer. Walton Arts Center will cover the cost of the trip for the two Diamond Awards winners.
Finalists have been selected in the new student reporter category. Seven high school students from schools participating in the Diamond Awards submitted videos showcasing their creativity and skills in event coverage, visual storytelling, editing, videography and social media to be considered for the new award. The two finalists, Riley Crow from Harrison High School and Reagan Hall from Bentonville West High School, will help Walton Arts Center’s communications team cover the Diamond Awards, and they have been submitted as student reporter applicants for The Jimmy Awards.
If chosen by the national competition, student reporters will receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City in June 2026 to cover the week-long training and award ceremony for the best lead actress and actor winners from more than 55 regional programs.
All-in standard tickets for the Diamond Award Ceremony are $5 for students and $15 for adults. Additional information and tickets are available now at waltonartscenter.org, by calling 479.443.5600 weekdays 10 am-5 pm or in person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 am-2 pm.
Support for Walton Arts Center is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Walton Arts Center is Arkansas’ largest and busiest performing arts presenter. Each year more than 215,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend more than 300 public events at Walton Arts Center, including performances, rehearsals, community gatherings, receptions, weddings and more. Approximately 35,000 students and teachers participate annually in arts learning programs at Walton Arts Center, and almost 250 volunteers donate 28,000 hours of time each year to its operations. Walton Arts Center presents entertainers and artists from around the world including Broadway musicals, renowned dance companies, international artists, up-and-coming jazz musicians and more. As a non-profit organization, Walton Arts Center enjoys the generous support of public sector funding, corporate sponsorship and private donors, allowing audience members to enjoy world-class performances at a great price. To learn more about Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.
