High Schools Selected For Inaugural Kentucky Performing Arts Bradley Awards

16 high schools from 10 counties in Kentucky and Southern Indiana have been selected for the inaugural Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA) Bradley Awards, taking place June 1, 2025 at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.

This program is an official partner of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA), known also as The Jimmy Awards. While KPA's Governor's School for the Arts program celebrates young artists at the state level, the KPA Bradley Awards will launch talented youth in Kentucky and Southern Indiana to the national stage while building community amongst the region's high school theatre programs. The KPA Bradley Awards are presented by KPA in partnership with the Louisville Theatrical Association.

Awards will be given in various categories, of which students, educators, and ensembles are eligible. The two students awarded Best Actor and Best Actress in a Leading Role will represent our region at the 2025 Jimmy Awards in New York City, which includes 10 days of private coaching, master classes and rehearsals with theater professionals, all-expenses paid. The week will culminate in a national awards ceremony at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway.

“We are ecstatic to announce the schools for the inaugural KPA Bradley Awards,” says Kim Baker, Kentucky Performing Arts President and CEO. “The KPA Bradley Awards, like Governor's School for the Arts, continue our mission to connect our communities through the arts, and we look forward to bringing these young communities together.”

The KPA Bradley Awards seek to build community amongst our region's high school theatre programs, all of which are worthy of celebration for the value they bring to our youth and our communities.

Participating schools are:

Bryan Station High School

Daviess County High School

Youth Performing Arts School (at duPont Manual High School)

Greenwood High School

John Hardin High School

Lafayette High School

Franklin County High School

McCracken County High School

Kentucky Country Day School

Randall K Cooper High School

Ballard High School

Floyd Central High School

Sacred Heart Academy/Sacred Heart School for the Arts

New Albany High School

Mercer County Senior High School

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Participating schools will have a team of three adjudicators view their musical. The KPA Bradley Awards final ceremony will take place in Whitney Hall at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, located in Louisville, KY. Schools and students can be nominated in numerous categories, including:

Behind The Scenes Excellence

Outstanding Community Engagement (i.e. fundraising for charity, raising awareness of an important issue, etc.)

Student Reporter Recognition

Outstanding Student Designer

Outstanding Arts Educator

Outstanding Technical Execution

Outstanding Dance Execution

Outstanding Ensemble Performance

Best Actor in a Supporting Role*

Best Actress in a Supporting Role*

Best Actor in a Leading Role*

Best Actress in a Leading Role*

Best Overall Musical Production

*Students are adjudicated in the category corresponding to their gender identification, not the gender of the role they play. Students identifying as non-binary or gender-fluid may choose to either select the category in which they wish to be adjudicated (regardless of the gender of the role) or they may be adjudicated based on the gender of the role they play.

ABOUT KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS

Bringing world class performances to Kentucky, connecting artists with the community, and providing arts education opportunities, Kentucky Performing Arts lives its statewide mission of connecting and inspiring through the arts. Kentucky Performing Arts has a significant impact on the Commonwealth's tourism and local economy, contributing $26.3 million in an average year, including $15.8 million in direct economic impact with our patrons spending an additional $10.5 million annually.  As an integral member of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet, Kentucky Performing Arts, along with the other agencies, seeks to preserve and promote the history, heritage, and arts of the Commonwealth.

Three locations in Louisville make up the family of venues under the Kentucky Performing Arts umbrella:

• The Kentucky Center at 501 W. Main St.
• The Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway
• Old Forester's Paristown Hall, 724 Brent St.

ABOUT THE JIMMY AWARDS

The Jimmy Awards/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) program impacts approximately 130,000 students who participate in 51 regional high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $6,000,000 in educational scholarships since its launch in 2009. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, Inc., the NHSMTA invites two nominees from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a rigorous theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway's most accomplished professionals. Nominees will spend ten days in New York City and their efforts throughout the week will lead to one extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.

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