Last year, the Hopewell High School Theatre Arts department won a Classroom Resources Grant through the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative, part of the American Theatre Wing. They received the funds – about $20,000 – just in time for the spring musical and were

able to purchase new lighting equipment, which teacher Lillian Allemond said has been “a game changer” for her students.

As a grant winner, Allemond learned this year that she was selected in a lottery to be a seat filler at the 79th annual Tony Awards, which were held on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. In addition, a photo of her Hopewell students was featured in the show’s Playbill magazine, leading an article about the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative. The photo was taken in March 2025 by the American Theatre Wing representative, who traveled to Hopewell to present the grant, meet the students and attend their musical.

“It was a surreal experience getting to attend the Tony Awards,” Allemond said. “It was made extra special seeing CMS students in the Playbill. I ended up filling the seats of three or four people and was moved around as needed. At the very end of the night, I was seated on the front row, just in time for the announcement of the winner for Best Musical (Schmigadoon!).”

The awards show was hosted by Pink, and Allemond said the opening number was a particular thrill for her.

“The energy was incredible. What makes live theater so special is just that – the energy the audience receives from watching incredible performances live in front of them is simply not the same as watching a recording,” she said. “There were around 180 performers in the opening number alone, and that was really special to get to see live on stage.” 

Allemond has taught theater in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for 10 years, all of them at Hopewell, and has had students pursue careers in many areas of the theater. She said her current students were thrilled about her opportunity, and she wants them to know that Broadway stars had the same start in theater that they have had.

“Performers don’t make it to Broadway and the Tony Awards without first performing in a high school auditorium, or building and designing a set for a tiny theater on a shoestring budget,” she said. “I hope that my students can see themselves in these performers and realize that their own journeys may not be so different from that of the performers on stage.”