Broadway In Chicago Announces Nominees for Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards

Broadway In Chicago is pleased to announce the twenty-four students nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, and nominees for Best Production, Best Direction and the Grosh Award for Best Scenic Design for the sixth annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards. The nominees (12 young actors and 12 young actresses), selected after evaluating 74 productions across the state of Illinois, have been invited to participate in the Awards program, which will be held at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) on Monday, June 5, 2017 at 6:00 PM. Sponsored by Disney's Aladdin and Grosh Backdrops & Drapery, the Illinois chapter of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards serves as an annual national celebration of outstanding achievement in musical theater performance by high school students.

Broadway In Chicago has crafted a workshop with theatre professionals, featuring Adam Jacobs, star of Disney's Aladdin North American tour, who originated the title role in Aladdin on Broadway, along with his wife Kelly Jacobs, who previously performed in Chicago in the Mary Poppins North American tour. The workshop for these twenty-four nominees will culminate in a performance on stage at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. During the day, nominees will audition for a panel of casting agents and theatre professionals who will choose the recipients of performance awards. A Best Actress and Best Actor winner from Illinois will be sent to New York City, on an all-expense paid trip, for a week-long theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase on Broadway, where a panel of judges crowns the nation's top performers.

In addition to the workshop, nominees will receive tickets to Disney's Aladdin in Chicago, currently playing at Broadway In Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre through Sept. 10, 2017.

An award for Best Direction will be presented to a director(s) from a participating school, an award for Best Production will be presented to a participating school, and the Grosh Award for Best Scenic Design will be presented to a participating school for achievement in outstanding scenic design.

For more information on both awards and complete rules and regulations, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com/about/IHSMTA/. For more information on National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Jimmy Awards, visit www.jimmyawards.com.

LIST OF NOMINEES AND HIGH SCHOOLS

Jordan Radis

Lincolnshire

Adlai E. Stevenson High School

Meaghan Rivera

Hoffman Estates

Barrington High School

Justin Smusz

Bolingbrook

Benet Academy

Frank Gomulka

Lemont

Benet Academy

Madeleine Barbeau

Bolingbrook

Benet Academy

Nicholas Orth

Orland Park

Carl Sandburg High School

Sara Toth

Orland Park

Carl Sandburg High School

Corey Barlow

Cary

Cary-Grove High School

Haley Gustafson

Cary

Cary-Grove High School

Natalie Doppelt

Riverwoods

Deerfield High School

Brax Melvin

West Frankfort

Frankfort Community High School

Carly Meyer

Northbrook

Glenbrook North High School

DarIan Goulding

Hampshire

Hampshire High School

Jack Hradecky

Rockton

Hononegah Community High School

Edith "Gracie" Stockton

Lake Forest

Lake Forest High School

Zachary Pearson

Libertyville

Libertyville High School

Lindsey Doody

Frankfort

Lincoln-Way East High School

Benjamin Dow

Shorewood

Minooka Community High School

Dominic Cappuccilli

Mundelein

Mundelein High School

Maddie Mazzella

Chicago

Saint Ignatius College Prep

Annie Yamamoto

Hoffman Estates

William Fremd High School

Erik Martenson

Elmhurst

York Community High School

Tatum Langley

Elmhurst

York Community High School

Carina Kanzler

Elmhurst

York Community High School

NOMINEES FOR BEST PRODUCTION

Benet Academy's production of All Shook Up

Carl Sandburg High School's production of Jekyll and Hyde

Cary Grove High School's production of Evita

Libertyville High School's production of In the Heights

York Community High School's production of West Side Story

NOMINEES FOR THE GROSH AWARD FOR BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Cary- Grove High School's production of Evita

Coal City High School's production of The Little Mermaid

Hinsdale South High School's production of Hairspray

Lake Forest High School's production of Urinetown

Libertyville High School's production of In the Heights

NOMINEES FOR Best Direction

Cynthia Burrows, Adlai E. Stevenson High School- Big Fish

Lauren Condon & Brian Wand, Benet Academy- All Shook Up

Rob Boncosky, Cary-Grove High School- Evita
Andy Robinson, Chicago Academy For the Performing Arts - A Little Night Music

Kelly MacBlane & John Wanninger, Lake Forest High School- Urinetown

ABOUT THE JIMMY AWARDS
The Jimmy Awards/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) impacts more than 50,000 students who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of Touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. A Best Actress and Best Actor winner from each of these competitions is sent to New York for a week-long theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase on Broadway, where a panel of judges crowns the nation's top performers. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $1,000,000 in educational scholarships.

In 2012, the program inspired preeminent broadcaster WGBH Boston to produce a 3-part documentary series called "Broadway or Bust," which follows students on a journey from their hometown competitions to their debut on Broadway. The series remains popular viewing at www.pbs.org. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, the ninth annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 26, 2017 at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Coaching and rehearsals for this one-of-a-kind event will be held Monday, June 19, 2017 through Monday, June 26, 2017 in New York City. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

Disney's Aladdin

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, Disney's Aladdin features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida) and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten!).

Aladdin, adapted from the Academy Award-winning animated Disney film and centuries-old folktales including "One Thousand and One Nights," is brought to fresh theatrical life in this bold new musical. Aladdin's journey sweeps audiences into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance. This new production features a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more written especially for the stage.

Tickets for Aladdin at the Cadillac Palace Theatre are on sale now. In Chicago, tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. A select number of Premium Ticket Packages, which include a prime seat location, a commemorative souvenir program and an exclusive merchandise item, are also available for many performances. Group tickets for 15 or more are available by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. For a complete performance schedule for Aladdin, please visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

GROSH BACKDROPS & DRAPERY

Grosh Backdrops & Drapery supplies schools and theaters with an extensive selection of backdrops and drapery at the most competitive pricing. A choice of sizes and beautiful scenes help you enhance any production. Two warehouse locations reduce shipping times and cost. Visit us online to view our entire inventory of 5,000 products in 75 unique categories, check pricing and availability, and to reserve your order today at www.grosh.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 16 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining well up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago's Loop including The PrivateBank Theatre, Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

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