“A Lovely Night” at the 5th Annual Jimmy™ Awards

The 2013 Jimmy™Award Nominees

From the moment the curtain rose on the Minskoff stage, it was an astounding night! Making their Broadway debut, the 62 best actors and actresses from all over the country wowed the audience with the opening Broadway medley. The Tony® Award-nominated hosts from Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Laura Osnes (Cinderella) and Santino Fontana (the Prince), added a magical spark to the night.

The first group of actors took to the stage starting the medleys off on a great note. Next, a group of actresses sang about their troubles with men. The audience loved the medley of Bakers from Into the Woods, after all “It Takes Five.” Then it was back to school with the Olive Ostrovskys who shared their love of books with Belle and Jo March, among others. With the next medley of actors, you could definitely sense “A Brotherhood of Man.” The divas then took control of the stage followed by the final medley of actors bringing down the house and closing Act I.

During intermission, a panel of judges met to deliberate over their selection for the Jimmy™ Award finalists. The panel of Broadway brass included Scott Ellis (Roundabout Theatre Company); Kent Gash (New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama); Tony® Award-nominee Montego Glover (Memphis); Rachel Hoffman (Telsey +Co); Alecia Parker (NAMCO); Nick Scandalios (Nederlander Organization); and Bernie Telsey (Telsey + Co).

All of the nominees returned to the stage to hear the announcement of the finalists. There were cheers and hugs all around as names were called for Michael Burrell of The Childress M.A.C.Y. Awards; Jillian Caillouette of Connecticut High School Musical Theater Awards; Austin Crute of Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards-Shuler Hensley Awards; Martha Hellerman of The Tommy Awards; Sarah Lynn Marion of John Raitt Awards for Youth (JRAY); Eva Maria Noblezada of The Blumey Awards; and Taylor Varga of Connecticut High School Musical Theater Awards.

Sarah Lynn Marion & Taylor Varga

After performing their solos, all seven contenders rose from center stage and it was time to announce the winners. The Award for Best Performance by an Actress went to Sarah Lynn Marion, from Huntington Beach High School Academy for the Performing Arts, representing the John Raitt Awards for Youth (JRAY). The Award for Best Performance by an Actor went to Taylor Varga, from Newtown High School, representing Connecticut High School Musical Theater Awards. The winners both gave heartwarming speeches thanking their family, friends, and mentors who guided them along the way.

We cannot forget about three additional awards presented to Billy Krager of The Tommy Awards (Best Performance in an Ensemble), Jillian Caillouette of Connecticut High School Musical Theater Awards (Most Improved), and Brian Baylor of Ovation Awards (Spirit of the Jimmy Awards).  Another student, McKenzie Kurtz from Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards-Shuler Hensley Awards; was selected to attend Carnegie Mellon University's 6-week Pre-College Drama program.

It’s been an incredible journey from the minute everyone arrived in New York to the sad good-byes this morning. Everyone has had a chance to grow and learn while creating lifelong friendships. We hope to see some of you back on Broadway some day!

Want to see more photos highlighting the week’s events? Visit our Flickr page! 

Have your own photos or memories from NHSMTA? Share them with us on Twitter and Facebook!

Tonight Won’t Be Just Any Night

The 5^th Annual Jimmy™ Awards are tonight! Between rehearsals and solo coaching and special guest visits, the last few days have flown by! Be sure to visit our Twitter where we’ve been live-Tweeting the events and preview tonight’s show with our PlaybillVIP.

During a special lunch talkback sponsored by Music Theatre International, Tony-nominated songwriter Benj Pasek talked about his journey and experiences. The nominees had a chance to ask questions and were excited to meet one of the Tony-nominated songwriters for the Broadway musical A Christmas Story, the NBC TV series Smash, and the Off-Broadway musical Dogfight.

 

Songwriter Benj Pasek Talking to NHSMTA Nominees

Throughout the last few days, each nominee had a chance to work one-on-one with our NYC faculty coaches – Michael McElroy, Liz Callaway, Schele Williams-Kleinberger, Telly Leung and Leslie Odom, Jr.  Drawing upon their professional Broadway experience, the coaches helped the nominees achieve the next level, working on everything from vocals to stage presence.

 

Liz Callaway and Telly Leung Coach Nominees on their Solos

Last night, the nominees had a chance to perform their solos and group numbers for the judges. You could feel the nervous excitement in the air as each nominee stepped up to sing the solo he or she had been working on. The judges were blown away by the amount of talent brought by this year’s nominees.

Congratulations to all of the nominees – you’ve made it to the Broadway stage! We cannot wait to see everything come together tonight at the Minskoff. Break a leg everyone!

Leaping Lizards! What a Night in NYC!

On Thursday night, the nominees had a chance to explore New York City! For many, this is their first time experiencing the sights and sounds and excitement of the city. Surrounded by the famous caricatures at Sardi’s, the nominees were treated to dinner (with delicious cheesecake for dessert) at this renowned restaurant in the heart of NYC’s theater district. While at Sardi’s, they were visited by Bob Wankel, President and Co-CEO of The Shubert Organization. Afterwards, everyone had a great time watching Annie the Musical on Broadway featuring Jane Lynch as Miss Hannigan.

Needless to say, everyone enjoyed their night on the town!

Getting Ready for the Ball

  

At lunch yesterday, the nominees were treated to a talk-back session with special guest Kirstin Tucker from theTony®-Winning musical - Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Kirstin has also performed in the National Tours of West Side Story and A Chorus Line as well as numerous regional theater productions. A former student of NHSMTA choreographer Kiesha Lalama, she graduated from Point Park University and has since danced her way to the Broadway stage.  She offered great advice about college training, answered questions about her responsibilities as Assistant Dance Captain, and even taught a mini dance lesson! Thanks R&H Theatricals for sponsoring yesterday’s lunch and for the awesome t-shirts!

  

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The Nominees Have Arrived in N.Y.C.!

We are thrilled to welcome our 2013 NHSMTA nominees to New York City! Everyone is so excited to be here! With less than a week to put together a Broadway show, music rehearsals began right away for the opening number. The nominees also had a chance to get to know one another and meet everyone at the Pizza Party sponsored by Papa John’s. Want to see more photos? Visit our Flickr site and check out the Wednesday Night photo set! Today has more rehearsals in store, but we are looking forward to an exciting night on the town tonight!

For now… “N.Y.C. I give you fair warning, up there in lights they’ll be!”

Announcing the 2013 Jimmy™ Award Nominees!

We are thrilled to present the 2013 Jimmy™ Award Nominees!! Learn more about each of these 62 incredibly talented students by visiting our website. Find out what role they played and which high schools across the country will be represented. See the official online nominee list HERE!

Congratulations to Benjamin, Allison, Sakyiwaa, Brian, Jana, Stirling, Michael, Jillian, John, Austin, Sierra, Connor, Rodd, Benton, Laura, Patrick, Bo, Annika, Samuel, Tim, Stephen, Martha, Myha'la, Anna, Emily, Rachael, Bridget, Lily, Billy, McKenzie, Russell, Chandler, Matthew, Sophia, Chris, Zach, Sarah, Halle, Trevor, Areon, Anthony, Ryne, Francesca, Eva, Sarah, Angelo, Dakota, Sarah, Shane, Kellen, Hunter, Nicole, Taylor, Harold, Maddison, Mason, Taylor, Natalia, Cam, Olivia, Ray and MacKenzie!

Only one more week until we get to meet everyone at the welcome pizza party!

See more photos of the nominees onstage by visiting our Flickr site!

Fractured Fairytales and Mixed-Up Musicals

Ever wonder what would happen if there were two Phantoms of the opera? Or what if Belle and Dorothy met Cinderella in the woods? Click the link to visit out our 2012 Medley Playlist and find out! The 2013 cast will include a variety of characters ranging from Reno Sweeney & Billy Crocker to Meredith Parker & Bat Boy. We can’t wait to see what happens when this year’s exciting cast comes together on the Minskoff stage!

(P.S. Be sure to check back next week for an exclusive first look at the 2013 nominees.)

“The Prince Is Giving a Ball” (And Hosting the Jimmy™ Awards!)

We loved watching the cast of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella performing Sunday night on the Tony Awards®! From the dancing and singing to the transformation of Cinderella’s gown, the entire performance was magical. Have you heard, the Tony®-nominated stars - Laura Osnes (Cinderella) and Santino Fontana (the Prince) - will be hosting the 5^th Annual Jimmy™ awards?

Cinderella marks Ms. Osnes fifth Broadway musical, starting with Grease, South Pacific, Anything Goes and Bonnie & Clyde, for which she was also nominated for the Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical. Mr. Fontana has previously appeared on Broadway in Billy Elliot, Sunday in the Park with George, Brighton Beach Memoirs and The Importance of Being Earnest, and Off-Broadway at Roundabout Theater in Sons of the Prophet.

Just like our Jimmy™ nominees, these Broadway stars got their musical theater start in high school! Ms. Osnes graduated from Eagan High School in Eagan, Minnesota where she performed in productions including Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan, and The Miracle Worker. Mr. Fontana, who graduated from Richland High School in Richland, Washington, performed in productions such as Little Shop of Horrors, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Othello. Perhaps we will see some of our 2013 Jimmy™ nominees performing on the Tony Awards® someday! “It’s Possible!”

Keep Calm and Dream of Broadway

We are only a couple weeks away from the 5^th annual National High School Musical Theater Awards! Behind the scenes preparations are well underway for an exciting week filled with rehearsals, surprise visits, NYC tours, special guest coaching and more, all leading up to the announcement of the 2013 winners of the Jimmy™ Awards!

Congratulations to the winners from the all of the regional awards programs! Check out our Participating Theaters page to learn more about each of these different programs across the country from New York to Texas to California. As the highlight videos and performance photos are coming in, we are already impressed by this year’s talented nominees. We cannot wait to meet everyone!

Be sure to connect with us on Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter so you will always be the first to know about NHSMTA! Get an exclusive sneak peak at the 2013 Jimmy™ Awards Playbill online right now with our PlaybillVIP (Virtual Internet Playbill)!