Westmoreland Night of the Stars musical showcase postponed

Westmoreland Night of the Stars, the annual showcase of area school musicals, has been postponed.

The 24th annual performances were originally scheduled to take place May 6-7 in The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Organizers have yet to decide whether the showcase can be held at a later date or if it will be canceled, according to founder John Noble.

Prior to coronavirus-related school closures, only five of 18 Night of the Stars participating schools had presented their spring musicals.

“We’re still holding out hope that — in the least — the remaining school performances eventually will go on,” Noble said.

Ticket purchasers will have their checks returned if the show is fully canceled, he said.

Scholarship opportunities

Noble said the RWS Entertainment Group, whose CEO is Hempfield Area High School and Night of the Stars alumnus Ryan Stana, will award the annual Esther M. Kocevar Scholarship, in memory of Stana’s grandmother, to a Night of the Stars senior pursuing an education and career in the performing arts.

The $1,000 scholarship is awarded based on talent, financial need, scholastic merit, school and community involvement and entertainment credits. Applicants must have applied to an accredited college, university or conservatory that offers a four-year program with a requisite audition and must submit resume, photo, nonreturnable performance video/DVD/USB or design portfolio and narrative sketch.

The application packet is available by emailing meghan@rwsnyc.com. Completed packet must be mailed and postmarked by April 10.

In addition, Stage Right! School for the Performing Arts will donate at least one summer camp scholarship to each of the 18 Night of the Stars participating schools, according to artistic director Tony Marino.

This year, for the first time, the camp scholarships are being funded by the Melissa McCarthy Foundation, named for the well-known television and film comedian and actress, according to Marino. These scholarship recipients are determined through recommendations from each school’s musical producer/director.

For information, contact Marino at 724-832-7464 or stagerightgbg@gmail.com.

To date, more than 18,000 middle and high school musical theater students from 22 different Westmoreland County schools, along with the Stage Right! Arts in Education home-school students have participated in Westmoreland Night of the Stars since its inception in 1997.

For participating, each school receives $1,000 for its theater program, along with a plaque — more than $300,000 in cash awards to date, Noble said.