Kathie Lee Gifford To Host 2nd National High School Musical Theatre Awards 6/28

Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances LLC announced today Kathie Lee Gifford will host the 2nd Annual National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) on Monday, June 28 at the Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway). The NHSMTA is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performance by high school students. Forty-four young performers will compete for the coveted Jimmy^TM Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance of an Actress, as well as merit scholarships and professional opportunities.

Presenters will include nine-time Tony® Award-winner Tommy Tune, Wesley Taylor (The Addams Family), and more. The awards presentation will feature student performances and a special performance from the cast of Come Fly Away accompanied by a 16-piece orchestra including eight students from New York City's famed Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School.

Nearly 1,000 high schools nationwide participated in the 2009-2010 program offered at 22 regional theatres across America. The complete list of 2010 National High School Musical Theater Award nominees and the participating regional theaters is available at www.nhsmta.com.

The Jimmy^TM Award, named in honor of James M. Nederlander-the legendary Broadway theatre owner and producer, will be presented following 5-days of interviews, private coaching, master classes and rehearsals at New York University Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama's New Studio on Broadway: Music Theatre and Acting.

Jimmy^TM Award winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts including Scott Ellis (Roundabout Theater Company); Kent Gash (NYU Tisch School of the Arts, New Studio on Broadway: Music Theatre and Acting); Tony® Award-nominee Montego Glover (Memphis, The Color Purple); Alecia Parker (NAMCO); Nick Scandalios (Nederlander Organization) and Bernie Telsey (MCC Theater and Telsey + Company).

The National High School Musical Theater Awards was established in 2009 to help invigorate and support in-school theatre arts programs. The program has already been recognized by The National Endowment for the Arts, The Broadway League, The Shubert Organization and other industry organizations and foundations committed to nurturing future artists and audiences.

Tickets to the Jimmy^TM Awards on Monday, June 28 at 7:30 pm, Marquis Theatre, are available at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are as follows: $500 (Donor), $100 (Premium), $60 (Orchestra), $35 (Mezzanine). Group and student discounts are available at Nederlander Patron Sales and Services by calling 212.840.5577.

WHO'S WHO IN THE PROJECT

Pittsburgh CLO has been a driving force behind the preservation, creation and promotion of live musical theater since 1946. As one of the largest regional musical theater organizations in the country, Pittsburgh CLO is fortunate for the yearly support of nearly 200,000 patrons. In addition to producing fresh new productions of Broadway classics, the non-for-profit's mission is to develop new works and showcase new talent. The organization's dedication to the musical theater art form extends beyond its main-stage season with the CLO Cabaret Theater, the Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater, the Construction Center for the Arts, and the acclaimed Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater, a 20 year-old program and first of its kind in the country.

NEDERLANDER ALLIANCES, LLC is a division of Nederlander Presentations, Inc., the producing arm of a family company prominent for three generations in management and operation of theaters and productions of distinguished entertainment. Under the leadership of James L. Nederlander, the Nederlander Organization owns/operates nine legitimate theatres on Broadway including the Brooks Atkinson (Rock of Ages), Gershwin (Wicked), Lunt-Fontanne (The Addams Family), Marquis (Come Fly Away), Minskoff (The Lion King), Nederlander (Million Dollar Quartet), Richard Rodgers (In The Heights) and the world famous Palace Theatre (West Side Story). The company also operates theaters in Chicago, Detroit, Durham, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Jose, Tucson, and London.

James M. Nederlander, or Jimmy as he is known in the theatrical community, is the Chairman of the Nederlander Producing Company of America Inc. For over 60 years, he has been the producer of distinguished entertainment for which he has received 34 nominations and won 11 Tony® Awards for Best Production of a musical or play and has presented artists ranging from Nureyev to Sinatra to Billy Joel to U2. The Broadway League recently bestowed the Gerald Schoenfeld Vision for the Arts in Education Award to Jimmy for establishing The National High School Musical Theater Award.

NYU TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA integrates a combination of rigorous conservatory training and broad-ranging academic education. In partnership with some of the country's foremost professional theatre training institutions, the program offers comprehensive conservatory training 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/Retna Ltd.