The Tom Wopat Awards for Excellence in Musical Theater

Program Overview 

Overture’s Tommy Awards program is an education initiative that honors and celebrates excellence in musical theater production among area high school students.

The program began in the 2009/10 school year.  23 participating schools and 1 community theater had their high school musicals reviewed by a panel of educators, theater experts and industry professionals.  Based on the reviewers’ comments and tabulations, productions and individuals received awards  in specific categories at ceremony held at Overture Center on Sunday, June 6, 2010.  The ceremony also featured performances and production numbers from award winners in several categories.  Approximately 350 students performed and over 90 awards were distributed.

This season's ceremony will be held at Overture Center on Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 6 PM.

Students also had the opportunities to participate in other musical theater-related events held at Overture throughout the school year including Broadway workshops in acting, dance, music and stage combat.

The Tommy Awards are funded in part by Alliant Energy Foundation; the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission with additional funds from the American Girl's Fund for Children. the Evjue Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of The Capital Times, and the Overture Foundation; and by contributions to the Ovation Fund.

Name of Awards

Overture’s Tommy Awards are named in honor of local musical theater hero Tom Wopat, critically acclaimed and Tony Award-nominated singer and actor.  Born in Lodi, Wisconsin, Tom first started singing and dancing in high school musicals, and studied music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before getting his "big break" in 1978 as Luke Duke in the immensely popular Dukes of Hazzard television show. He even directed several episodes during the show's six-year run.

After the series ended, Tom made his triumphant return to Broadway in Annie Get Your Gun and continued to appear on television, acting in shows like Cybill and Home Improvement, and hosting his own show on TNN/The Nashville Network.  He also appeared as the lead in Chicago, and starred alongside Alan Alda, Jeffrey Tambor and Liev Schreiber in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross.

Over the years, Tom has received several Tony nominations for his stage roles, including his role as Frank Butler opposite Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun, and as Tom Hurley in A Catered Affair.   His most recent Brodway appearance was in Sondheim on Sondheim.

Tom is excited to lend his name and presense to Overture's awards program. "Between the influence of Don Roebuck at Lodi High School and  my experience at the UW Summer Music Clinic, I feel that I was blessed, " he said."It's important to nurture and reward talent and hard work. I'm excited and honored to be associated with these awards."