Tommy Tune, Aaron Tveit, et al. to Present at High School Musical Theatre Awards, 6/27

Tony® Award-winner Gregory Jbara will host the 3rd annual National High School Musical Theater Awards - "The Jimmy Awards" - on Monday, June 27th at 7:30pm at the Minskoff Theatre (200 W 45th St). Presenters include Tony® Award-winners Tommy Tune, Harvey Fierstein, Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon) and star of Catch Me If You Can, Aaron Tveit. The awards showcase will feature performances by 50 student participants representing 25 professional theaters across America.

The National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performance. NHSMTA is produced by Pittsburgh CLO, Nederlander Alliances LLC and The Broadway Education Alliance to invigorate and support in-school theater arts programs. Nearly 1,000 high schools and 50,000 teenagers nationwide participated in the 2010-2011 program. The complete list of 2011 nominees and participating regional theaters is available at www.nhsmta.com.

The program has 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. The Jimmy^TM Award, named in honor of James M. Nederlander-the legendary Broadway theater owner and producer, will be presented live onstage to select students following 5-days of interviews and private coaching supervised by faculty at New York University Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio on Broadway. Students also participate in master classes and rehearsals at NYU.

Winners are chosen by a panel of industry experts including Scott Ellis (Roundabout Theatre Company); Kent Gash (NYU Tisch School of the Arts/New Studio on Broadway); Tony Award-nominee Montego Glover (Memphis); Rachel Hoffman (Telsey + Company); Alecia Parker (NAMCO); Nick Scandalios (Nederlander Organization) and Bernie Telsey (Telsey + Company and MCC Theater).

Tickets to the performance ceremony on Monday, June 27 at 7:30 pm, Minskoff Theatre, are available at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are as follows: $500 (Donor Premium), $125 (Orchestra Center A - S), $100 (Orchestra Sides A - L), $60 (Orchestra Sides O - V), $30 (All Sections Rows W - ZZZ). Group and student discounts are available at Nederlander Sales & Patron Services by calling 212.840.3890.

Pittsburgh CLO has been the driving force behind live musical theater in Pittsburgh and the Southwestern Pennsylvania region since 1946. Under the direction of Van Kaplan since 1997, this not-for-profit arts organization appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons each year and produces a subscription series, educational programs, and develops and invests in new works and national tours, including 13 Broadway shows (13 Tony® Awards) - currently represented on Broadway by Catch Me If You Can and The Addams Family. The organization's dedication to the musical theater art form includes programs such as the CLO Academy, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Richard Rodgers Award, the Construction Center for the Arts, the CLO Cabaret and The National High School Musical Theater Awards.

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 (Rain), Gershwin (Wicked), Lunt-Fontanne (The Addams Family), Marquis (Follies), Minskoff (The Lion King), Nederlander, Neil Simon (Catch Me If You Can), Richard Rodgers (Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo) and the world famous Palace Theatre (Priscilla Queen of the Desert). The company also operates theaters in Chicago, Detroit, Durham, Los Angeles, Newark, 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 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.

BROADWAY EDUCATION ALLIANCE is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to supporting the theatre industry through the development of coalition programs between performing arts institutions and philanthropic partnerships with public and private entities. The mission is to raise awareness around and fund arts education programs and provide services that inspire creativity, build confidence and stimulate thinking in American's youth. The organization is a member of the New York Institute of Technology's Education Enterprise Zone®.

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos