"Let me make this short, because there's a Penguins game going on," said the Taylor Allderdice student accepting the Kelly Award for best student orchestra Saturday night at the Benedum Center. He also claimed that most of their practice time "was devoted to food."

Schenley, acknowledged a student accepting one of its awards, "had a very tough year" -- and most knew the school had lost "Mr. B," beloved long-time director of its shows, and is probably losing its building, too.

Those two were representative of the varied humor, emotion, grace and self-possession of the students accepting the 15 Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater, presented for the 18th year by Pittsburgh CLO and the University of Pittsburgh.

Matt Polk, Pittsburgh CLO

Cody Hoellerman, Pine-Richland's Cat in the Hat, accepting the best actor Gene Kelly Award; he's in costume because he had just performed with the other five nominees in that category.

The Benedum was packed, the audience of students, parents and friends paying enthusiastic attention to the excerpts performed by the nine schools nominated for best musical in three categories, then erupting into cheering each time their own school was mentioned.

Those excerpts suggest the musical theater scene is indeed changing. In addition to two "Beauty and the Beasts" and two "Seussicals," they included "Children of Eden," "Into the Woods," "All Shook Up" and even a "Urinetown." Only "Dames at Sea" was a throw-back (a gently parodic one) to the classic American musical.

Distributing the awards were guest presenters, including local television personalities and, back for the ninth year, Gene Kelly's glamorous widow, Patricia Ward Kelly.

Pine-Richland came away with four awards, followed by Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Woodland Hills with three each, Schenley with two and Hampton, North Catholic and Taylor Allderdice with one.

The Charles Gray Award for Special Achievement in Arts Education was presented to Brentwood's Elroy Elementary for integrating the arts in various subject areas. The Kelly Critics Award, for a student reviewing other schools' shows, co-sponsored by the Post-Gazette, went to Casey McDermott of Chartiers Valley. Her reviews, one in the style of Dr. Seuss, can be read on the Post-Gazette's high school musicals Web page (click here).

Gene Kelly Scholarships totaling $11,500 were presented to Jaron Frand (Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts), Kassandra Humberson (Winchester Thurston) and Dylan Putas (Bishop Canevin).

The CLO Ambassadors awarded $4,500 in scholarships to Matthew Critchfield (CAPA), Austin Gohn (Northgate) and Jeffrey Markanich (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart).

And Point Park University presented Sarah Chybrzynski (Woodland Hills) with a $5,000 annual scholarship to its Conservatory of the Performing Arts.

Scenic design: Woodland Hills.

Costume design: Pine-Richland.

Lighting design: Woodland Hills.

Supporting actor: Michael Campayno, Central Catholic.

Supporting actress: Teressa LaGamba, Schenley.

All-student orchestra: Taylor Allderdice.

Ensemble: Pine-Richland.

Crew/technical execution: Hampton.

Choreography: Central Catholic.

Direction: North Catholic.

Lead actor: Cody Hoellerman, Pine-Richland.

Lead actress: Sarah Chybrzynski, Woodland. Hills

Best Musical
Budget level I: Schenley.
Budget level II: Central Catholic.
Budget level III: Pine-Richland