Since 2014, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts has celebrated outstanding achievement in Colorado high school theater with the Bobby G Awards – an endeavor that, over time, has made plain the value of arts education in Colorado high schools. Because not only are our schools producing lots of wildly talented performers, they are clearly being well-taught along the way.

Case in point: The Arvada Center’s current production of “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,” a raucous, electropop musical that takes on a sliver of Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 epic “War and Peace” – the part focusing on a young woman whose independent heart puts her on a crash course with a societal comet.

Among its cast of 15 are two women who are previous finalists for the Bobby G’s annual Outstanding Actress award: Elleon Dobias, who won in 2017 for her portrayal of Catherine in “Pippin” for Valor Christian High School, and Bella Hathorne, who was nominated in 2019 for playing Jo in “Little Women” at Littleton High School.

Dobias holds the singular distinction of having been nominated for a Bobby G Award all four years of her high school career. Winning in her senior year earned her the right to represent Colorado in the national Jimmy Awards on Broadway.

“Participating in the Bobby G Awards throughout high school was such a treat and motivation,” she said. “The spirit of the ceremony continuously reminded me to recognize and celebrate both the personal successes and the creative triumphs of my peers.”

Hathorne plays the title character of Natasha in “The Great Comet,” which means she shoulders much of the unusual musical’s emotional and vocal load. Five years ago, Hathorne became the first Bobby G Awards nominee not to attend the ritzy ceremony at the Buell Theatre – and for a very good reason. Because, even as a high school junior, Hathorne was a working actor, and she had a conflicting performance in the Town Hall Arts Center’s “Sister Act” that same night. (One of her castmates was 2018 Outstanding Leading Actor Elisha Horne of Vista Peak Prep.)

“Being nominated for a Bobby G Award was definitely a learning experience,” said Hathorne, now a student at New York University. “At 16, it was a bit of a disappointment not to be able to attend. But that actually became a wonderful opportunity for me to understand that my priority was doing the art, not seeking recognition.

“I feel very honored, in retrospect. I got to enjoy the wonderful feeling of being recognized, but also had the freedom of letting that honor stand by itself without any further expectation. Since I learned that lesson early on, I’ve gone forward doing my thing without anticipating applause. My focus is entirely on the storytelling, and sharing that with collaborators.”

Plenty of Bobby G Awards participants have gone on to do great things in entertainment. 2019 Outstanding Actor Kyler Hershman (Valor Christian) for example, was quickly hired into the national touring production of “An Officer and a Gentleman” that came through Colorado Springs. 2022 Outstanding Lead Actor Thomas Beeker (Frederick High School) appeared on NBC’s “Chicago P.D.” just a few months later, and is now attending The Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts.

But just as many are doing great things in life. 2014 Outstanding Actor Conner Kingsley (Lakewood High School), for example, is an advising attorney to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2015 winner Evatt Harvey-Salinger (Durango High School) is an A.I. systems engineer for Northrop Grumman, a space defense company in Los Angeles.

“In a field that’s often thought to be filled with rejection, I’ve tried to find as many ‘wins’ as possible — big and small,” Dobias said of her life in the arts. “Beginning this practice as a high schooler gave me positive momentum as I began working professionally, and I’m proud to be back in my home state honoring the origins of my passions alongside Bella at the Arvada Center.”

Hathorne, too, finds a certain kismet to be now appearing alongside Dobias in “The Great Comet” at the Arvada Center.

“I’m very proud to work with Elleon, who is a truly remarkable artist and inspires me with her creativity and professionalism every day,” Hathorne said. “It all makes me feel like I must be doing something right – and every artist (and human) deserves that kind of encouragement.”

The 2024 Bobby G Awards will be held May 17 at the Buell Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex.