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KPBS Evening Edition

Ben Vereen Awards Will Honor San Diego's High School Theater Performers

By Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition,  Peggy Pico / KPBS Evening Edition Host
Published April 3, 2015 at 12:51 PM PDT
This story was published more than 9 years ago.
Ben Vereen Awards Seeks Top High School Theater Performers In San Diego County

Broadway star and Tony Award winner Ben Vereen is in San Diego for the 2nd Annual Ben Vereen Awards.

The competition is looking for the top male and female high school theater performers in San Diego County. Nominees will be announced Tuesday.

Ten semi-finalists will go on to compete in the Southwest Regionals in Tucson, Arizona. Two talented students will get to progress to the National High School Musical Theater Awards, being held at a Broadway Theatre in New York. They'll have a chance to win a $10,000 college scholarship.

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The contest added an essay category this year focused on health, self-esteem and bullying issues.

"I am so pleased to be working with Broadway/San Diego and the community again this year on something that's dear to my heart: helping our young people to change their life for the better through the performing arts," Vereen said in a news release.

"I'm hoping that the national high school champions will come from my region, and look forward to supporting their journey."

Sixteen San Diego County high schools are participating in the competition. The Ben Vereen Awards will be on April 26 at the Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego.

KPBS Evening Edition
Marissa Cabrera
Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.
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Peggy Pico
Peggy Pico served as the host of KPBS Evening Edition. Pico originally joined the KPBS newsroom as the science and technology reporter in 2010 after spending two years covering biotechnology and medical news in the Bay Area. Pico was raised in San Diego and has worked as a broadcast journalist in California, Arizona, and Texas. She previously reported for NBC 7/39 where she worked as a medical and science reporter for five years. Pico has won two Emmy’s and numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Press, and the San Diego Press Club. She also received the USC Health Reporter Fellowship and is a member of California Chicano News Media Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.
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