CINDERELLA's Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana Host 2013 Jimmy Awards Tonight
By: BWW News Desk Jul. 01, 2013
The National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) previously announced that 62 finalists selected from tens of thousands of students will compete for the coveted Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress, scholarships and other honors at an event on Broadway to be hosted by the Tony Award-nominated stars of Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA, Laura Osnes (Cinderella) and Santino Fontana (the Prince). The fifth annual performance showcase featuring dynamic ensemble and solo performances exclusively from the musical theater cannon will take place tonight, July 1, 2013 at 7:30pm at the Minskoff Theatre (200 W. 45th St). Tickets, which range from $35-$179, are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.
Nominees qualified to compete in the national program by winning top honors this year at 31 regional high school musical awards competitions. These annual events involve more than 50,000 teens in cities across America and are sponsored by the country's leading performing arts organizations.
NHSMTA nominees prepared for their "Broadway debut" at a five-day theater intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio on Broadway faculty members Liz Callaway, Telly Leung, Michael McElroy, Leslie Odom, Jr., Schele Williams-Kleinberger plus other theater professionals. Winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts including Scott Ellis (multi-Tony Award-nominated director); Kent Gash (New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama); Tony Award-nominee Montego Glover (Memphis); Rachel Hoffman (Telsey + Company); Alecia Parker(National Artists Management Company); Nick Scandalios (Nederlander Organization) and Bernie Telsey (Telsey + Company and MCC Theater).
Founded in 2009, NHSMTA's mission is to raise the profile of musical theater in schools, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Also known as The Jimmy Awards in honor of legendary Broadway producer/theater owner James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $760,000 in educational scholarships made available to deserving students. NHSMTA is produced by the Broadway Education Alliance and supported by many leading theater industry organizations including The Broadway League, BWF (Weissler) Foundation, Disney Theatrical Productions, Jujamcyn Theatres, Music Theatre International, the Nederlander Organization, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Pittsburgh CLO, Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, Samuel French Library, Shubert Organization, Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc., Ticketmaster and others. To learn more about the National High School Musical Theater Awards and/or to make a donation to the program, visit nhsmta.com.
2013 NOMINEES:
Atlanta, GA:
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Foundation
Georgia High School
Musical Theater Awards
Shuler Hensley Awards
Austin Crute (Best Actor)
McKenzie Kurtz (Best Actress)
Beverly, MA:
North Shore Music TheatreSpotlight on StarsConnor Fallon (Best Actor)
Laura Girard (Best Actress)
Charlotte, NC
Blumenthal Performing Arts
The Blumey Awards
Eva Maria Noblezada (Best Actress)
Chicago, IL
Broadway in Chicago
The Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards
Taylor Marie Sherry (Best Actress)
Dallas, TX
Dallas Summer Musicals Inc.
DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards
Cam Wenrich (Best Actor)
Dakota Ratliff (Best Actress)
Denver, CO
Denver Center Attractions
The Bobby G Awards
Nicole Seefried (Best Actress)
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines Performing Arts Awards
Iowa High School Musical Theater
Kellen Schrimper (Best Actor)
Bridget Johnston (Best Actress)
Durham, NC
Durham Performing Arts Center
Triangle Rising Star Awards
Anna Higginson (Best Actress)
East Lansing, MI
Wharton Center for Performing Arts
Ovation Awards
Mason Van Gieson (Best Actress)
Fort Worth, TX
Casa MañanaBetty Lynn Buckley AwardsBenjamin Allen (Best Actor)
Sarah Roach (Best Actress)
Fullerton, CA
FCLO Music TheatreJohn Raitt Awards for Youth (JRAY)
Shane Satterfield (Best Actor)
Sarah Lynn Mario (Best Actress)
Hershey, PA
Hershey TheatreHershey Theatre Apollo Awards
Benton Felty (Best Actor)
Emily Homburger (Best Actress)
Houston, TX
Theatre Under The StarsThe Tommy Tune AwardsRyne Nardecchia (Best Actor)
Allison Anderson (Best Actress)
Irving, TX
Lyric Stage, Inc.
The Schmidt and Jones Awards
Sakyiwaa Baah (Best Actress)
Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Starlight Theatre
Blue Star Awards
Lily Kaufmann (Best Actress)
Las Vegas, NV
The Smith Center
The Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards
Maddison Turner (Best Actress)
Logan, UT
Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre
The Utah High School Musical Theater Awards
Sierra Dew (Best Actress)
Los Angeles, CA
Pantages Theatre
The Jerry Herman Awards
Natalia Vivino (Best Actress)
Madison, WI
Overture Center for the Arts
The Tommy Awards
Billy Krager (Best Actor)
Martha Hellerman (Best Actress)
Memphis, TN
The Orpheum Theatre
The Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards
Russell Lehman (Best Actor)
Olivia Wingate (Best Actress)
Millburn, NJ
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards
Jana Bernard (Best Actress)
Mission Viejo, CA
McCoy Rigby Entertainment
The Childress M.A.C.Y. Awards
Sarah Pierce (Best Actress)
New York, NY
Camp Broadway in association with CAP21
Camp Broadway
The Gershwin Awards
Halle Mastroberardino (Best Actress)
Norwich, CT
The Spirit of Broadway Theater
Connecticut High School Musical Theater Awards
Taylor Varga (Best Actor)
Jillian Caillouette (Best Actress)
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh Musical Theater
Geneva College Henry Mancini Musical Theatre Awards
Francesca Nardone (Best Actress)
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh CLO
Pittsburgh CLO Gene Kelly Awards
Rachael Houser (Best Actress)
Rochester, NY
Rochester Broadway Theatre League
Stars of Tomorrow
MacKenzie Wright (Best Actress)
San Diego, CA
The Old Globe
Globe Honors
Annika Gullahorn (Best Actress)
San Jose, CA
Broadway San Jose
Bay Area High School
Musical Theatre
Stage Top Honor Awards
Rodd Farhadi (Best Actor)
Myha'la Herrold (Best Actress)
Tampa, FL
Straz Center for the Performing Arts
Broadway Star of the Future
Tim Hart (Best Actor)
Chandler Lovelle (Best Actress)
Wichita, KS
Music Theatre of Wichita
The Jester Awards
Trevor McChristian (Best Actor)
Sophia Macias (Best Actress)
BROADWAY EDUCATION ALLIANCE (BEA) is a 501.c3 organization that serves as an independent catalyst for the development and implementation of national programs that serve local performing arts organizations and support theatre arts education and cultural studies for audiences of all ages. The National High School Musical Theater Awards is the organization's first national coalition presented to inspire creativity, build confidence, and stimulate critical thinking in American's youth. For more information, visit www.BroadwayEducationAlliance.org.
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATER AWARDS (NHSMTA)/JIMMYTM AWARDS was founded in 2009 by Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances LLC, under the leadership of James L. Nederlander, and is produced by the Broadway Education Alliance in association with Pittsburgh CLO. The program promotes the importance of theater arts programming in high schools, provides educational scholarships and creates a pathway for promising young performers to pursue a career in the professional theater industry. For more information, visit www.nhsmta.com. NYU TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA integrates a combination of rigorous professional theatre training and broad-ranging academic education. In partnership with some of the country's foremost professional theatre training institutions, the program offers comprehensive theatre courses in acting, directing, musical performance, design, and theatre production. The program also offers an expansive and innovative academic curriculum. The faculty is composed of nationally and internationally recognized theatre artists, scholars, and theorists. The curriculum is further enriched by required courses in the humanities and social sciences. An extensive internship program connects students to the professional theatre community of New York City. The program is complemented by challenging and innovative productions that welcome guest artists from a range of culture and artistic perspectives. Graduates of the program include Alec Baldwin '94, Kristen Bell '02, Raúl Esparza '92, Philip Seymour Hoffman '89, Bryce Dallas Howard '03, Felicity Huffman '88, Dan Jinks '85, Moisés Kaufman '89, John Leguizamo '83, Michael Longoria '02, Idina Menzel '93, Molly Shannon '87, and Chandra Wilson '91.Photo Credit: Walter McBride
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