The Casa Grande High School production of horror classic "Carrie: The Musical" has garnered two nominations for the regional Sara Bareilles Awards, which could lead one member of the student ensemble to a national high school award ceremony in New York City this summer.

Students will perform selections of the production at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco this Sunday, and the public is invited to attend. The entire student-led production team was nominated in the Outstanding Overall Cast Performance category, according to Sara Bareilles Awards’ Instagram page.

Samara Castro, who played the role of Carrie White in the school’s March production, was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress. Should she win, she'll advance to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards – also known as the Jimmy Awards – in June at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway in New York City.

News of the nomination spread among cast members over spring break. “They were over the moon,” theatre arts and English teacher Jonathan Mazer told Petaluma Voice. “They were so excited and I felt so proud of them. Performing on the Orpheum stage is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for anybody who is a performer, so for these students this is such a special thing.”

The team includes 16 student performers plus 14 students handling production, all supported by four teachers and staff, according to Mazer. This musical was a collaboration between the theatre arts department and the music department, led by Sean Millard.

The San Francisco awards ceremony is a regional affiliate of the national awards show and named after Sara Bareilles, a two-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Tony Award nominee raised in Eureka. The competition region extends from San Francisco and Alameda counties to the “northernmost regions of the state,” according to the ticket website.

“Nominees represent the highest level of achievement in high school theatre and are invited to perform at the awards ceremony,” according to a press release from Petaluma City Schools.

The day before the San Francisco show, Castro and other student nominees will participate in a professional training seminar, the release noted.

Other local contenders include performers from Justin-Siena High School in Napa, St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco, and San Marin High School in Novato. Judges attended 117 productions across 12 counties before selecting the finalists. 

Correction: The original article indicated that the entire cast could earn a trip to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City if it wins in San Francisco. This was corrected on 4/29/26 at 1:27 pm. to clarify that only the lead actor could advance.