2016 Jimmy Award Winners Announced!

The winners of the eighth annual NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS (NHSMTA)/JIMMY AWARDS were determined and announced last night, Monday, June 27, 2016, at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. This one-of-a-kind-event was hosted by Tony Award-nominee Zachary Levi, currently starring on Broadway in Roundabout Theatre Company's She Loves Me at Studio 54.

The coveted Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor was presented to Josh Strobl representing The Jerry Herman Awards and Amina Faye representing The Blumey Awards.

The Jimmy Award is named in honor of James M. Nederlander, Chairman of Nederlander Producing Company of America. Both winners were presented with a check for $10,000 to further their education. They will be eligible for a four-year merit and a need-based scholarship to attend the New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama, contingent upon acceptance into the program.

Six finalists each received a $2,500 scholarship toward their future education from the Barry and Fran Weissler Foundation:

· Kailey Boyle, Tommy Awards

· Cameron Chang, The San Diego Ben Vereen Awards

· John Fredrickson, DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards

· Lauren Johnson, Nebraska High School Theatre Awards

· Devin Moore, Gene Kelly Awards

· Marnie Quick, Gene Kelly Awards

Special Recognition Scholarships, presented by Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.:

· Jacob Bush, Triangle Rising Stars

· Emma Heistand, Applause Awards

· Lucas Lowry, Blue Star Awards

· Kaiden Lynn Maines, DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards

· Charlotte Movizzo, The Bobby G Awards

· Curtis J. Salinger, The Bobby G Awards

Best Vocalist, presented by The Shubert Organization:

· Mark Mitrano, Stars of Tomorrow

Best Dancer, presented by The Shubert Organization:

· Cecilia Trippiedi, Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards

Best Performance in an Ensemble, presented by Disney Theatrical Group:

· Devon McCleskey, Popejoy Awards

Rising Star, presented by The John Gore Organization:

· Holly Payne, ASU Gammage High School Theater Awards

Spirit of the Jimmys, presented by Music Theatre International:

· Muhammad Yunus, Tommy Tune Awards

6 Week Pre-College Drama Summer Program Scholarship, presented by Carnegie Mellon University:

· Curtis J. Salinger, The Bobby G Awards

Winners were selected by a panel of judges comprised of notable theatre professionals including Tony Award-winning producers, award-winning casting experts and industry professionals: Kent Gash, Rachel Hoffman, Alecia Parker, Tara Rubin, Nick Scandalios, and Kate Shindle. Additional judges who selected the groups in which the students performed were: Paul Canaan, Wayne Cilento, Kent Gash, Stephanie Klapper, and Cesar Rocha.

An unannounced surprise, former NHSMTA participant Eva Noblezada made an appearance and performed with the nominees. She will be reprising her critically-acclaimed London performance as Kim in the upcoming Broadway production of Miss Saigon.

In addition to host Zachary Levi, presenters included: Drew Gehling (currently starring in Waitress), Lena Hall (2014 Tony Award-winner for Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Zainab Jah (most recently in Eclipsed), Marc Kudisch (three-time Tony Award-nominee) and Bianca Marroquin (returning to Broadway's Chicago in July).

The production was directed by Van Kaplan and choreographed by Kiesha Lalama, with musical direction and arrangements by Michael Moricz. David Dabbin was Production Group Music Director.

This year, for the first time ever, the pre-event red carpet and the awards presentation were streamed live on Facebook via the National High School Musical Theatre Awards Facebook page, Facebook.com/NHSMTA.

Broadway stars Gavin Creel (She Loves Me), Eden Espinosa (Wicked), Jose Llana (Rent), Michael McElroy (Big River), Howard McGillin (The Phantom of the Opera, Gigi), and Karen Olivo (In the Heights, West Side Story) served as coaches for the nominees in preparation for the ceremony.

The annual Broadway-focused talent showcase featured performances by all 62 nominees and solos by select finalists. Their debut on a Broadway stage followed 9 days of rehearsals and private coaching with faculty at the New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama and other professionals. Students also enjoyed a performance of On Your Feet! including a talkback with the cast.

The 2016 National High School Musical Theatre Awards introduced a new format for the program in order to accommodate more regional awards programs and provide opportunities for more students to experience Broadway and New York City. This year there were 62 students representing 31 programs, compared to last year's 52 students representing 26 programs.

The students auditioned before a panel of judges earlier in the week, singing two prepared songs and participating in a dance call. Based on the audition results, the students were split into two groups: The Medley Group and The Production Group, leading up to when all students performed together in the opening and closing numbers on the Minskoff stage. The groups worked together throughout the week and received the same amount of coaching. All nominees were eligible for the scholarships and awards.

Pictured: Josh Strobl & Amina Faye; Photo by Henry McGee