BTE/CMVB Presented Event:
Student Spotlight

WITH SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST, KERRY BUTLER!

May 14th-16th

Rooted Here. Imagined for Everywhere.

The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, in partnership with the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, invites high school students from across the region to audition for Student Spotlight, a public showcase and musical theatre intensive designed to celebrate and elevate the next generation of performers.

Student Spotlight will feature special guest Broadway artist Kerry Butler, alongside a team of professional teaching artists, offering selected students a unique opportunity to train and perform at a professional level on the Alvina Krause Theatre stage.

The program will select 18-20 of the region’s most dedicated high school musical theatre performers to participate in an immersive experience that includes a culminating public performance, masterclasses, private vocal coaching, and fully staged musical numbers.

Applications are open through March 27th at midnight. Students must submit a video excerpt from their current high school musical along with a contrasting musical theatre selection. A panel of artists and educators will review submissions, with selected participants announced on March 30.

Participants will work closely with a team of industry professionals throughout the week leading up to the performance.

Apply here
Apply here

  • A video clip from their current high school musical.

  • A video or audio recording of a musical theatre song of their choice.

  • Submitted through portal on March 27th at midnight.

Application Requirements

  • A panel including Student Spotlight producer Jared Whitford, music director Catie Brown, and BTE staff will review submissions.

Selection Process

Instructors and Production Team

  • Kerry Butler

    Special Guest Artist
    Kerry Butler is a Tony Award-nominated Broadway actress known for her work in Beetlejuice, Mean Girls, Xanadu, Hairspray, and Little Shop of Horrors. With a career spanning decades on Broadway and beyond, Butler is celebrated for her comedic timing, vocal power, and dynamic stage presence. She has also appeared in film and television and is a sought-after educator and masterclass instructor, working with young performers across the country.

  • Jared Whitford smirks at the viewer.

    Jared Whitford

    Producer, Student Spotlight
    Jared Whitford is a multifaceted theatre artist whose work spans directing, design, and performance. A respected figure in the regional arts community, he most recently directed the world premiere of the musical STOA (2026) at Lycoming College in Williamsport.

    He currently serves as the Director of Theater at South Williamsport Area School District, where he leads a dynamic and growing K–12 program, and as a producer for the BTE/CMVB Presented Event Series. He is also the Founder and former Artistic Director of Studio 570, a boutique theatre company dedicated to new works and reimagined classics.

    Throughout his career, Whitford has collaborated with organizations including Millbrook Playhouse, the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, Interlakes Summer Theatre, and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, among others. He also serves on Governor Josh Shapiro’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs.

    Selected Credits: A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline; WSO Celebrates the Holidays: A Broadway Tribute; James and the Giant Peach; Legally Blonde; The Revolutionists; Cinderella (Director/Designer); Fiddler on the Roof; The Little Mermaid; Beetlejuice Jr. (premiere production, Costume Designer).

  • Catie Brown faces the camera, smiling.

    Catie Brown

    Student Spotlight Music Director
    Catie Brown is a music director, accompanist, educator, and vocal coach based in Pittsburgh. She serves as a Staff Accompanist and Music Director at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, and as a vocal instructor for the School of Drama’s Pre-College Program.

    An in-demand collaborator across the region, Brown has worked with Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Public Theater, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, R.W.S. and Associates, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, and St. Vincent Summer Theatre, as well as several Broadway National Tour companies.

    Known for her dynamic and supportive approach to musical theatre training, Brown specializes in vocal technique, storytelling through song, and developing confident, versatile performers.