Coaches and Judges Revealed for 2023 Jimmy Awards Including Eva Noblezada, McKenzie Kurtz & More

The Broadway League Foundation has revealed the team of theatre professionals and industry experts who will serve as coaches and judges during the 14th annual Jimmy Awards. Several Broadway stars will also make special guest appearances as presenters throughout the evening. Corbin Bleu returns to host this year’s ceremony taking place on Monday, June 26th at 7:30pm at the Minskoff Theatre. The event will be streamed live in its entirety on YouTube and Facebook. WABC’s Live Intermission Show will also stream live from the theatre and include exclusive interviews.

American Sign Language interpretation will be provided during the Jimmy Awards both in the theatre and for the livestream. Live captions will also be available on the livestream. Accessibility services secured by Invest in Access.

The 14th annual Jimmy Awards welcomes seven coaches who will mentor the 96 high school students from across America who have come to New York City for a chance to win the Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress. The coaches include: Jenni Barber, Max Chernin, MaryAnn Hu, Adam Kantor, Telly Leung,Howard McGillin, and Desi Oakley.

The panel of judges for the 2023 Jimmy Awards is comprised of notable theatre professionals including Tony Award®-winning producers, award-winning casting experts, and industry leaders. Winners, finalists, and semifinalists will be selected by Khady Kamara, Joe Machota, Alecia Parker, T. Oliver Reid, Tara Rubin, Nick Scandalios, Thomas Schumacher, Bernie Telsey, and Sergio Trujillo. Preliminary judges who evaluated and cast the nominees included Kristian Charbonier, Stephanie Klapper, Kevin Metzger-Timson, Dale Mott, and Seth Sklar-Heyn.

Throughout the evening, special guest presenters will introduce various awards, musical numbers, and tributes.

Eva Noblezada (Hadestown) will present the Week-in-Review video highlighting the incredible moments the nominees experienced while in NYC.

McKenzie Kurtz (Wicked) will introduce the Tribute to Touring number honoring our touring venues’ contributions to the Jimmy Awards and to Touring Broadway throughout the years.

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, better known as the Jimmy Awards®, is a coast-to-coast celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance. The 2023 Jimmy Awards features 96 nominees from 48 regional awards programs making their debuts on a Broadway stage. During this unforgettable talent showcase, a panel of judges will select two students to receive the coveted awards of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.

The Jimmy Awards®/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®) program impacts 140,000 students who participate in nearly 50 regional high musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $6,000,000 in educational scholarships.

Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO, and Broadway Education Alliance (BEA), the mission of the NHSMTA is to raise the profile of musical theatre in schools, honor dedicated teachers, and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Numerous student participants have already been cast in Broadway, Touring, and West End productions.

Presented by The Broadway League Foundation Inc., the NHSMTA invites one Best Actress and one Best Actor nominee from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a week-long theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway’s most accomplished professionals. Following all their combined efforts throughout the week, the nominees will all perform during one extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. The 14th annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 26, 2023, at the Minskoff Theatre. For more information, please visit JimmyAwards.com.

The Broadway League conducts the program through The Broadway League Foundation Inc., its philanthropic division. Part of the Foundation’s mission is to enlighten and increase the public's knowledge, appreciation, and awareness of the theatrical arts, and since its founding in 1993, has supported several projects to help preserve Broadway's heritage and introduce new audiences to Broadway theatre. The Foundation is a corporation organized under the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law of the State of New York, the purposes of which are exclusively charitable as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Donations to support the program can be made at www.JimmyAwards.com.