Charlotte Student Wins Best Dancer at National High School Musical Theater Awards

The 2017 National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Jimmy Awards, took place June 26 at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway (home to Disney's The Lion King). Tony Award winner Ben Platt, star of Dear Evan Hansen, hosted the event.

The annual Broadway-focused talent showcase featured performances by all 74 nominees and solos by select finalists. Their debut on a Broadway stage followed eight days of rehearsals and private coaching with faculty at the New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama and other professionals. Students also enjoyed a performance of Come From Away, including a talkback with the cast.

Anna Hertel, a rising senior at Ardrey Kell High School and Justin Rivers, who recently graduated from Central Academy of Technology and Arts, represented Charlotte in New York after competing in the 2017 Blumenthal Performing Arts High School Musical Theater Awards last month. Sponsored by Wells Fargo, The Blumey Awards were created by Blumenthal Performing Arts six years ago to recognize, celebrate and nurture the talents of high school theater students in the Charlotte region, as well as offer area students a pathway to the national competition in New York.

Hertel won the Best Dancer Award (presented by The Shubert Organization) and Central Academy of Technology and Arts theater teacher Larry Robinson received an Inspiring Educator Award (also presented by Wells Fargo). That recognition is awarded to the instructors of the previous year's winners. He worked extensively with Amina Faye, who is now studying musical theater at Penn State. Faye was the first Charlotte-area winner to walk away with a Jimmy Award for Best Actor or Actress.

"We are immensely proud of Anna and Justin and their incredible performances last night," said Blumenthal Performing Arts President Tom Gabbard. "It's an honor to have had such talented young people represent the Charlotte area on the national level. We are humbled by the success stories that have come out of this experience but it simply speaks to the quality of the high school musical theater programs and the teachers leading these efforts in our region. We're honored to do our part in supporting that."

Sofia Deler and Tony Moreno, both from Orlando, Florida earned the night's top honors. Deler won Best Performance by an Actress after earning her spot in the finals for her performance as Woman 1 in Songs for a New World at William R. Boone High School. Moreno, who played Don Quixote/Cervantes in his high school production of Man of La Mancha at Trinity Preparatory School, earned the award for Best Performance by an Actor.

Since the inception of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) program in 2009, participating students have earned over $1,000,000 in university and conservatory scholarships. Several student participants, including Charlotte's own Eva Noblezada and Abby Corrigan, have already been cast in Broadway, Touring and West End productions.

ABOUT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS
Blumenthal Performing Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education provider. For more information, call (704) 372-1000 or visit BlumenthalArts.org. Blumenthal Performing Arts receives operating support from the Arts & Science Council and North Carolina Arts CounciL. Blumenthal Performing Arts is also supported by PNC Bank, sponsor of the PNC Broadway Lights.

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