Texas Border Business
McAllen – The annual celebration of high-school theatre in the Rio Grande Valley, the Palm Awards, originally scheduled to take place at the McAllen Performing Arts Center, is going online. In response to the recommended stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus crisis, event organizers of the Palm Awards will livestream the awards show Sunday, May 24, at 3:00 p.m. on the Palm Awards Facebook Page (@thepalmshcta), on TV (Somos El Valle Channel 5.2 or Cable 1240), and also on the internet (https://livestream.com/eccr/palms).
“The Palm Awards is the ultimate celebration of high-school theatre in our region, with over 1,700 in attendance for an evening of outstanding musical performances,” said John Garza, Palm Awards president. “On this night, hundreds of high-school students from across the Rio Grande Valley are recognized for their achievements in theatre, much like the Tony Awards celebrate the best of Broadway, including a red-carpet experience.”
Hector Garcia, director of the Palms Awards, has some intriguing news to share. “We’ll be featuring at-home performances from our nominees, clips of the nominated productions, and some very special guests. There will be many surprises during the show,” he said.
The Palm Awards celebrate the educational value, artistry, and community of high-school musical theatre in South Texas. After evaluating the 25 participating high schools, 37 productions, and over 1,000 students in these productions from Harlingen to La Joya during the 2019-2020 school year, a team of Rio-Grande-Valley-theatre professionals nominated students in each award category. A complete list of the nominees for the 2020 Palm Awards is featured on the Palm Awards Facebook page.
As exciting as these awards are, there is more to this annual event.
“In addition to the announcement of this year’s winners during the online event, scholarships will also be awarded in major acting categories,” Garza said. “We wanted to make this year extra special for those students who weren’t able to finish out their senior year. And while we can’t celebrate and honor the students’ achievements together, we can at least try to honor them with special guests sprinkled throughout the awards presentation.”
Who are the extra-special guests? Gilbert Zepeda, Jr., co-founder of the Palm Awards provides a sneak peek.
“The Palm Awards offers an opportunity for students and educators to share their creative accomplishments,” said Zepeda. “We also hope to instill in young people the value of engaging in the performing arts as a lifelong pursuit. We are bringing back some Valley alums who went on to pursue their dreams on the stage and screen, as well as the amazing cast of NBC’s New Amsterdam, to present some of the awards.”
Visit the Palm Awards Facebook page to find out which NBC actors are making an appearance during the show.
