Roger Rees Awards Student Roster Announced; Virtual Program to be Held This Saturday

The Broadway Education Alliance has announced the 2020-2021 roster of students vying for the 11th annual Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance Best Actress and Best Actor Award on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Despite disruptions to in-school learning, 27 high schools throughout the Greater New York are participating in this years' program by submitting students for consideration of awards and educational scholarships. The 2021 judges include Caley Beretta (Manager of Creative Development, Disney Theatrical Group), Frank DiLella (Host, NY1 On Stage), Jason Grossman (Broadway and Off-Broadway producer), T. Oliver Reid (award-winning Broadway actor and a professor of Musical Theatre at Rider University), Merri Sugarman (casting director at Tara Rubin Casting), and Ebony Vine (artist, writer, producer).

For the complete list of 2020-21 Best Actress and Best Actor Nominees-CLICK HERE

The winners of the Roger Rees Awards for Best Actress and Best Actor title will represent the Greater New York region at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, aka the Jimmy Awards® presented by the Broadway League Foundation online at www.JimmyAwards.com on July 15, 2021. Roger Rees Awards Best Actress 2019, Ekele Ukegbu, currently holds the title of The Jimmy Award® Best Actress. She is a sophomore at NYU Tisch School of Drama in New York City.

The Roger Rees Awards is also proud to announce a new initiative to support talented New York area student artists who are pursing acting, dance and vocal performance outside traditional musical theatre. NEW FACES 2021 provides individual student performers with a pathway to opportunities for private coaching and educational scholarships. The Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts, Rider University, Broadway Plus and other professional arts institutions will be providing scholarships to several students.

To view the names of the students selected as Roger Rees Awards New Faces 2021-CLICK HERE

To reflect the range of virtual concerts presented this year, the Broadway Education Alliance is pleased to be working with Harmony Helper® to recognize excellence in group performance with the Mosaic Award for Group Performance Excellence.

For the list of the finalists for Best Choral Group performance-CLICK HERE.

Winners of the 3rd annual PLAYBILLder Award for Marketing and the national "You Will Be Found" College Essay Writing Challenge sponsored in partnership with Gotham Writer's and Stacey Mindich (Producer, Dear Evan Hansen), will be announced.

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. Throughout his life, Roger Rees was a committed educator and generous mentor to young artists. He spent countless hours in rehearsals and classrooms coaching aspiring writers, actors and directors on character development, craft, collaboration and the vast cannon of theatrical works.

The Roger Rees Awards is presented annually by the Broadway Education Alliance Inc., Disney Theatrical Group and Camp Broadway LLC with support from industry leaders and companies working in/around Broadway including Rick Elice, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Tim Federle, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, Broadway Direct®, and others. For more information about the program, visit www.rogerreesawards.com.

Broadway Education Alliance Inc. is a New York based 501.c3 organization supporting theatre arts education and enrichment programs that inspire creativity, build confidence, and stimulate critical thinking in children of all ages. For more information, visit www.BeAlliance.org.