Jaquel Spivey to Host the 13th Annual Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance

Jaquel Spivey, Tony and Grammy Award-nominated artist for his role in A Strange Loop, will co-host the 2022-23 Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance. The ceremony will be held at the Professional Performing Arts School (328 West 48th Street) on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at 4:00 pm. The event is sponsored by Disney Theatrical Group and the Tony® Award-nominated production, Kimberly Akimbo. It features two musical production numbers featuring the 54 Roger Rees Awards nominees and 12 solo performances by award finalists. Tickets are currently on sale at rogerreesawards.com.

To be eligible to participate in The Roger Rees Awards, a student must have performed a qualifying role in an officially licensed high school production of an eligible show during the 2022-2023 academic year. Students from 53 high schools located throughout the Greater New York area will compete for the title of Outstanding Performer In A Musical before a panel of Broadway judges that include Michael Arden (2023 Tony® Award-nominated Director, Parade), Kiara Brown Clark (Teaching Artist, Disney Theatrical Group), Greg Nobile (Tony Award-winning producer), Merri Sugarman (Tara Rubin Casting), Jeanine Tesori, (Tony Award-winning composer and 2023 nominee for Best Score of Kimberly Akimbo), and Cynthia Thole (Director/Choreographer and Fairleigh Dickinson University faculty).

Two students selected by this panel of Broadway experts will represent the Greater New York region at The Broadway League Foundation's The Jimmy Awards® (also known as the National High School Musical Theatre Awards®) on June 26th at the Minskoff Theatre.

Broadway Education Alliance and Roger Rees Awards founder Susan Lee noted, "Encouraging and educating students about theatre is vital. These young artists are the next generation of performers and theatre audiences. We strive to inspire interest, nurture talent and to recognize excellence in these emerging theatre artists."

Prior to the May 21 event, students will have participated in a day-long performance intensive taught by Broadway professionals with extensive performance and teaching credentials. This team will select 12 Roger Rees Awards finalists who will perform a solo from their high school musical at the Roger Rees Awards.

Acting coaches include acclaimed Broadway performers Jason Gotay, Jarvis B. Manning, Shannon Mullen and Correy West. Music Directors are Isaac Harlan (Broadway Inspirational Voices), Sean Mayes (Hadestown), Julianne B. Merrill (Some Like It Hot), Christine Riley (Marymount Manhattan College). The Roger Rees Awards is directed and choreographed by Theo Lencicki with music direction by Christine Riley.

The Roger Rees Awards is pleased to announce the New Faces | 2023 roster of talented students selected by members of the Casting Society of America as emerging artists to watch.

Working in partnership with Harmony Helper®, The Roger Rees Awards will also recognize Farmingdale High School's Daler A Cappella, a 15-member choral group under the direction of Jessica Mischke, with the Outstanding Choral Performance Award.

Theatrely.com with present The Roger Rees Awards online live pre-show special hosted by Tyler Joseph Ellis on Sunday, May 21 beginning at 3:00 pm. Go to Theatrely.com for details.

The Roger Rees Awards recognize the importance of theatre arts education and celebrate the exceptional life and career-long artistic excellence of Broadway's beloved actor/director, Roger Rees. Playwright Rick Elice, Rees' partner of over 30 years, and author of "Finding Roger," said, "Rog would have liked this chance to educate and inspire young actors, to offer a guiding hand as so many were offered to him when he too was a kid with a dream."

The Broadway Education Alliance is the fiscal sponsor for The Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance, which is supported by Disney Theatrical Group, Broadway Plus, Broadway HD, Douglas Denoff, Rick Elice, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Harmony Helper, Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway, Music Theatre International, National Foundation of Musical Theatre, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, Withum and many other industry leaders working in/around Broadway.



Tickets are currently on sale at rogerreesawards.com.