Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is pleased to announce that they will join 15 other professional theater organizations from 11 states participating in the first annual presentation of The Jimmy Awards, to be held in New York City on Monday, June 29 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University. The National High School Musical Theater Awards, founded and produced by Nederlander Presentations, Inc. and Pittsburgh CLO, is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement that recognizes individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performances by high school students. "The Jimmy Award" is named in honor of James M. Nederlander, legendary Broadway theater owner and producer.
To participate in the National High School Musical Theater Awards, professional theaters are required to be a member of The Broadway League, the National Alliance of Musical Theater or the Theatre Communications Group. Each organization agrees to sponsor two student representatives, namely their local winners of the "Best Performance by an Actress" and "Best Performance by an Actor" category, in the national competition in New York City.
The TUTS 2009 Tommy Tune Awards were held on April 21, 2009. During this remarkable showcase of local high school musical theater achievement, Stephanie Cooksey from Stratford High School was named Best Actress, and Al Fallick from Stratford High School was recognized as this year's Best Actor. Both will be traveling to New York to participate in this exciting new program.
"The response from the professional theater community and high school educators everywhere to this national award for student performers has been overwhelmingly positive," says Van Kaplan, Pittsburgh CLO Executive Producer and the event's producer. "We are delighted that all the major theaters are participating in this inaugural event. This recognition of amateur talent by the professional theater industry has already inspired many other theaters to implement a local awards program. We are confident that this program will grow every year."
Two grand-prize winners will be selected by a panel of experts following five days of musical theater rehearsals, master classes, private coaching and interviews with theater professionals. Based on their skill level and professional goals, students are eligible for college scholarships, professional internships, career coaching and opportunities for auditions. The panel of judges and a complete list of prizes will be announced in the coming weeks.
The following theater organizations will be featured in the 2009 national celebration in New York. They are listed in order of their local awards ceremony performance date.
Organization City, State Awards Program Date
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Atlanta, GA Shuler Hensley Award for Excellence April 14
Theatre Under The Stars Houston, TX Tommy Tune Awards April 21
The Old Globe San Diego, CA Globe Honors April 25
McCoy Rigby La Mirada, CA MACY Awards May 17
Hershey Theatre Hershey, PA Apollo Awards May 18
North Carolina Theatre Raleigh, NC North Carolina Theatre Capital Awards May 18
Casa Manana Fort Worth, TX Betty Buckley Awards May 21
Kansas City Starlight Theatre Kansas City, MO Blue Star Awards May 21
Musical Theatre of Wichita Wichita, KS The Jester Awards May 21
Rochester Broadway Theatre League Rochester, NY Stars of Tomorrow Awards May 21
The Spirit of Broadway Theater Norwich, CT The Connecticut High School
Music Theater Awards May 21
Pittsburgh CLO Pittsburgh, PA Gene Kelly Awards May 24
FCLO Music Theatre Fullerton, CA John Raitt Awards For Youth May 31
North Shore Music Theatre Beverly, MA North Shore Music Theatre
Spotlight Awards June 2
Helen Hayes Youth Theatre Nyack, NY The Metropolitan Awards June 8
Paper Mill Playhouse Millburn, NJ Rising Star Awards June 16
The National High School Musical Theater Awards are based on Pittsburgh CLO's annual "Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater." This program has served as a model for dozens of theater companies across the country to create their own local awards program. In 2007, over 54,000 students at 900 high schools in 30 communities across the United States participated in these programs.
Who's Who in the National High School Musical Theater Awards
Pittsburgh CLO has been a driving force behind the preservation, creation and promotion of live musical theater since 1946. As one of the largest regional musical theater organizations in the United States, Pittsburgh CLO appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons each year. In addition to producing fresh new productions of Broadway classics, the not-for-profit's mission is to develop new works and showcase new talent. The organization's dedication to the musical theater art form extends beyond its main-stage season with the CLO Cabaret Theater, the Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater, the Construction Center for the Arts, and the acclaimed Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater, a19 year-old program and the first of its kind in the country. For more information please visit www.pittsburghCLO.org.
Nederlander Presentations, Inc. is a producing arm of a family company prominent for three generations in management and operation of theatres and productions of distinguished entertainment. The Nederlander Organization owns and/or operates nine Broadway theatres and runs a notable chain of legitimate theatres around the world. The company is currently represented on Broadway by Walt Disney's The Lion King; Guys and Dolls and West Side Story. Broadway productions include: Legally Blonde, Hairspray, Rent, Wicked, The Drowsy Chaperone, Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid, Movin' Out, Copenhagen, The Will Rogers Follies, Me and My Girl, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Breaking the Code, La Cage aux Folles, Benefactors, Annie, Noises Off, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, My Fat Friend, Seesaw, Applause, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Dresser, Nine, Woman of the Year and many revivals including Sweet Charity, Hello, Dolly!, Porgy and Bess and Peter Pan.
THE Jack H. Skirball CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT NYU
The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University, is the premier venue
for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events at NYU and lower Manhattan.
Located at 566 LaGuardia Place (at Washington Square South), it provides a large-scale performance space for university events and live professional performances from around the world. The 860-seat theater opened in October 2003 and hosts the only major university-based professional multi-arts presenting program in Manhattan. As a result, one natural and continuing mission of the Skirball Center is to build young audiences for live performance through a broad range of compelling performance events at affordable ticket prices. For more information and a current schedule of events, visit www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu.
Founded in 1968, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston's acclaimed non-profit musical theatre company and is currently under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge. Dedicated to producing new works and classic masterpieces, the 2008-2009 "Wow! What a Season!" celebrates TUTS' 41st Season of bringing world-class musical theatre to Houston audiences. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the building opened. Since its founding by Frank M. Young, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as well as International tours including Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Juliet Prowse in Mame, Robert Goulet in Man of La Mancha, the Tony Award-winning revival of Carousel and the Deaf West Theatre production of Big River. As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre provides instruction and stage experience for more than 1,700 students annually through both The Academy and The Studio, which allow students to flourish in a year-round schedule of classes. Housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston's high school musical theatre programs.
Visit TUTS.com for more information.
