The 5th Annual National High School Musical Theater Awards to Be Held on Monday, July 1

The National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) has announced that its 5th annual talent showcase will take place on Monday, July 1, 2013 at 7:30pm at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre (200 W 45th St). At this "Super Bowl" of amateur musical theater, student winners of awards competitions that take place across the United States will perform songs exclusively from the musical theater canon in the quest to win the coveted title of Best Performance by an Actress or Best Performance by an Actor and a Jimmy Award, named for legendary Broadway producer/theater owner James M. Nederlander, in recognition of his generous support of young artists.

Founded in 2009, NHSMTA's mission is to raise the profile of high school theater programs, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of theater performers and enthusiasts. Produced by the Broadway Education Alliance, NHSMTA is comprised of professional theaters coast to coast whose annual regional musical theater competitions involve more than 1,000 schools and 50,000 teens committed to developing their performance and personal skills. To date, NHSMTA has been the catalyst for more than $750,000 in educational scholarships awarded to deserving students.

The 2013 National High School Musical Theater regional partners are:

Casa Manana, Betty Lynn Buckley Awards - Fort Worth, TX
Blumenthal Performing Arts, The Blumey Awards - Charlotte, NC
Broadway in Chicago, The Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards - Chicago, IL
Broadway San Jose, Stage Top Honor Awards - San Jose, CA
Camp Broadway in association with CAP21, The Gershwin Awards - New York, NY
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Shuler Hensley Awards The Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards - Atlanta, GA
Dallas Summer Musicals, DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards - Dallas, TX
Denver Center Attractions, Bobby G Awards - Denver, CO
Des Moines Performing Arts, Iowa High School Musical Theatre Awards - Des Moines, IA
Durham Performing Arts Center, Triangle Rising Stars - Durham, NC
FCLO Music Theatre, John Raitt Awards for Youth - Fullerton, CA
Hershey Theatre, Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards - Hershey, PA
Lyric Stage, Inc., Schmidt and Jones Awards - Irving, TX
McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Childress M.A.C.Y. Awards - Mission Viejo, CA
Music Theatre of Wichita, Inc., The Jester Awards - Wichita, KS
North Shore Music Theatre, Spotlight on Stars - Beverly, MA
Overture Center, Overture's Tommy Awards - Madison, WI
Paper Mill Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards - Millburn, NJ
Pittsburgh CLO, Gene Kelly Awards - Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Geneva College Henry Mancini Musical Theatre Awards - Pittsburgh, PA
Rochester Broadway Theatre League, Stars of Tomorrow - Rochester, NY
Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards - Las Vegas, NV
Starlight Theatre, Blue Star Awards Program - Kansas City, MO
Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Broadway Star of the Future - Tampa, FL
The Old Globe, Globe Honors - San Diego, CA
The Orpheum Theatre, Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards - Memphis, TN
The Pantages (Broadway LA), The Jerry Herman Awards - Los Angeles, CA
The Spirit of Broadway Theater, The Connecticut High School Musical Theater Awards - Norwich, CT
Theatre Under The Stars, Tommy Tune Awards - Houston, TX
Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, The Utah High School Musical Theater Awards - Logan, UT
Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Ovation Awards - East Lansing, MI
Each participating regional awards program will send a Best Actress and Best Actor winner to New York City for a five-day theater intensive led by faculty at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio on Broadway and other theater professionals. In preparation for their "Broadway debut" students will rehearse and perfect ensemble numbers as well as solo and medley mash-ups that feature the role that earned them top honors at their regional awards competitions. Along the way they will brush elbows with Broadway actors, college recruits and casting agents, see a Broadway show, and much more.

The National High School Musical Theater Award winners are selected by a panel of industry experts including Scott Ellis (TV and Stage Director); 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 (National Artists Management Company); Nick Scandalios (Nederlander Organization); and Bernie Telsey and Rachel Hoffman (Telsey + Company).

NHSMTA is supported by The Broadway League, The Nederlander and Shubert Organizations, Barry & Fran Weissler/BWF Foundation, Disney Theatrical Productions, Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc., NYU Tisch School of the Arts and other industry organizations and foundations committed to nurturing future artists and audiences. For more information about the program, visit www.nhsmta.com.

Tickets for the 5th annual National High School Musical Theater Awards are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.