Hundreds of Rio Grande Valley high-school theater students will learn who receives the pinnacle of their secondary theater careers, a Palm, on May 15. The red carpet will roll out for these students from more than 30 high schools at the Palm Awards that evening at the McAllen Performing Arts Center.
PSJA ISD high-school-theater teachers Michael Alebis and Gilbert Zepeda Jr. began the Palm Awards in 2017. The vision was a replication of the Tony Awards, albeit on a smaller scale. The awards seek to enhance the awareness and importance of theater-arts education in the Rio Grande Valley. They also honor the hard work and commitment of students by publicly recognizing their exceptional accomplishments.
“The Palm Awards is a culmination of work done year-round,” said John Garza, president of the Palm Awards board of directors. “Our executive director, Hector Garcia, is hard at work, behind the scenes, attending every nominated play across the Valley. We do it for the love of educational theater in the RGV and to give Valley actors the love and recognition they deserve.”
Back Live With A Bang
This year, organizers of the event are partnering with NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. and The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. This is the first time the event will be live after a two-year hiatus. In 2020, a virtual event took place featuring Hollywood stars and the cast of New Amsterdam reading the names of the winners. The show was canceled in 2021. However, this year’s revival includes 152 nominees in 25 categories.
In addition to the coveted trophy, the Palm Awards also presents scholarships. Over the past three years, the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization has awarded over $10,000 in scholarships. One hundred percent of the money donated toward scholarships goes to theater-arts students.
Tickets for the Palm Awards are $15-30 and are available at bit.ly/PalmAwardsTickets.