Ryan McCartan Set to Host 2014 National High School Musical Theater Awards; Finalists Announced!

The National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) just announced that 56 high school students from across America will compete for the coveted Jimmy™ Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress, at the 6th annual presentation at the Minskoff Theatre on Monday, June 30. Ryan McCartan, 2011 Jimmy Award winner, will host the 2-hour talent showcase that features dynamic ensemble and solo performances. McCartan recently starred as JD in the Off-Broadway hit musical, Heathers, appears regularly as Diggy in Liv & Maddie on the Disney Channel, and is a recurring character on the USA Network's Royal Pains. The event will be held at the Minskoff Theatre (200 W. 45th St) and begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets, which range from $39-$175, are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

Student performers qualified to compete in the national program by winning top honors at 28 regional high school musical awards competitions presented by Broadway League member performing arts centers. Over 1,500 high schools and 60,000 students participate in these annual events. Since its inception in 2009, the NHSMTA has enabled over $1,000,000 in university and conservatory scholarships to be awarded to talented students at the national and local level-several of whom have already been cast in Broadway, touring and West End productions.

NHSMTA finalists will prepare for their Broadway debut during a five-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio on Broadway faculty members Andréa Burns, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Adam Kantor, Julia Murney, and Anthony Rapp plus other theater professionals. Winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts includingScott Ellis (multi-Tony Award®-nominated director); Kent Gash (New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama); Rachel Hoffman (Telsey + Company);Arielle Tepper Madover (Tony Award-winning producer); Tara Rubin (Tara Rubin Casting), and Nick Scandalios (Nederlander Organization)

Founded in 2009, NHSMTA's mission is to raise the profile of musical theater in schools, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Alsoknown as The Jimmy™ Awards in honor of legendary Broadway producer/theater owner James M. Nederlander, the NHSMTA is produced by the Broadway Education Alliance and supported by many leading theater industry organizations including The Broadway League, BWF (Weissler) Foundation, Disney Theatrical Productions, Jujamcyn Theatres, Music Theatre International, Nederlander Organization, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Pittsburgh CLO, Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, Samuel French Library, Shubert Organization, Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc., Ticketmaster and others. To learn more about the National High School Musical Theater Awards and/or to make a donation to the program, please visitnhsmta.com.

The 2014 National High School Musical Theater Awards participating theater organizations and their Nominees:

BROADWAY EDUCATION ALLIANCE (BEA) is a 501.c3 organization that serves as an independent catalyst for the development and implementation of national programs that serve local performing arts organizations and support theatre arts education and cultural studies for audiences of all ages. The National High School Musical Theater Awards is the organization's first national coalition presented to inspire creativity, build confidence, and stimulate critical thinking in American's youth. For more information, visit www.BroadwayEducationAlliance.org.

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATER AWARDS (NHSMTA)/JIMMY™ AWARDS was founded in 2009 by Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances LLC, under the leadership of James L. Nederlander, and is produced by the Broadway Education Alliance in association with Pittsburgh CLO. The program promotes the importance of theater arts programming in high schools, provides educational scholarships and creates a pathway for promising young performers to pursue a career in the professional theater industry. For more information, visit www.nhsmta.com.

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