Interview: Meet the 2024 Jimmy Awards Winners- Damson Chola, Jr. and Gretchen Shope

On Monday night, Damson Chola, Jr. and Gretchen Shope's lives changed forever when they were announced the winners of the the 15th Annual Jimmy Awards. As finalists from Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards (Dallas, TX) and the Sutton Foster Awards (East Lansing, MI) respectively, both were selected out of 102 finalists and recieved a check for $25,000 to further their education.

watch as they perform their winning solos ("Make Them Hear You" from Ragtime and "The Music That Makes Me Dance" from Funny Girl) and read on as BroadwayWorld checks in with the pair following their big wins!

Have you digested Monday yet? How did it feel to hear your name?

DC: I haven’t digested the events of Monday night, it still feels, truly, unreal. Hearing my name was an indescribable feeling, because it was not only my name that I heard, but my father‘s name. 

GS: I’m still expecting someone to pop out of a corner and tell me I’ve been pranked. I don’t think I ever will fully digest this special moment. The full capacity of how the Jimmy Awards could propel the trajectory of my future is impossible to guess, but I can’t wait to take the journey! Hearing my name felt like I was dreaming in Wonderland! The overwhelming sense of joy and consuming gratitude - just wow.  

Other than the moment of winning, what was your favorite part of the Jimmys experience?

GS: Watching the Tony Awards was simply unbelievable. The speeches that went straight to my heart, specifically Shaina Taub’s and Kecia Lewis’, encouraged me to power through the fear on the Minskoff stage. Also, I was in the same room as Hilary Clinton - WHAT? 

DC: My favorite part The Jimmy Awards was the day that we went to the Tony Awards and I saw all of my idols. (Leslie Odom Jr. and Brian Stokes Mitchell to name a few).

What advice do you have for younger kids across the country who have dreams of getting to the Jimmys one day?

DC: I would say to them…“Remember to have fun and make memories when doing theatre.” For three long years, I treated getting to The Jimmy Awards as a competition, but it was in my senior year of high school that I decided to, finally, “have fun”. That is when I was nominated for my regional awards program (Broadway Dallas High School Musical Awards) and ultimately obtained the chance to win the Jimmy Awards. It’s always hard to remember to have fun in competitive theatre.

GS: Get hungry to learn. When you are the best in the room, you are signing yourself up to stay stagnant in your talent. Ask to sit in on a competitive audition, volunteer as an usher, do anything you can to get into a room with people who know more than you. Do the things you’re bad at or make you uncomfortable! Observe and listen, and THAT’s when you take charge of your growth.

Is there anyone you forgot to thank last night that you'd like to shout out now?

GS: The list of thank you’s is longer than “All Too Well (10 minute version)”, but here’s a quick summary some important names. Thank you to Hatty Ryan King who was the brightest light during the most stressful moments as my pod leader. Thank you to William Karvouniaris and Rachel Reiner for putting this whole experience together and changing 102 lives in just 10 days. Big thank you to EJ Zimmerman and Adam Kantor who coached me through my songs during the week. Lastly, thank you to all the musicians and composers involved in the Jimmy Awards - you are the reason we sounded “larger than life.”

DC: I would like to thank my family in Zambia, Africa and in particular my immediate older brother Comfort whom I haven’t seen face-to-face in 15 years. My Best Friend Anthony Sullivan and his family for being my number one supporters, and Cleburne ISD and all of their staff that helped point me in this direction.  (Cleburne ISD Central office members, Gylnn Mitchell, Faith Massey, Weslee B. Vance). 

What's next? Do you have any post-high school plans yet?

DC: I plan to attend Carnegie Mellon University to study Musical Theatre! 

GS: As of now, I am planning on being a double major in Musical Theatre and Marketing at Wright State University. I’ll also be playing Johanna in Bay City Players’ “Sweeney Todd,” so come attend the tale! 

Watch highlights from the 2024 Jimmy Awards ceremony!