The Providence Performing Arts Center Announces New Community Outreach And Engagement Program, The Ocean State Star Awards

The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) announces a new Community Outreach and Engagement program: the Ocean State Star Awards.

The program celebrates the achievements of area educators, designers, and students involved in high school musical theatre programs. Public, homeschool, and private high schools are invited to register their musical productions, being staged between now and April 30, 2023, at ppacri.org/OceanStateStarAwards - the registration deadline is Monday, January 16, 2023.

Over the course of the academic year, a qualified team of adjudicators will review each registered high school musical, providing directors with written evaluations. PPAC will host a showcase on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 7P, honoring participating high school productions, performers, and creators. Students will have the chance to receive awards, scholarships, and to perform live on the PPAC stage!

Award categories are inspired by the Tony Awards and include Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Lead Performer, Community Engagement, and much more.

A female lead performer and a male lead performer will have the exciting opportunity to participate in The Jimmy Awards/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) on June 26 at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre.

Dana Brazil, Director of Outreach and Engagement at PPAC, said, "We are excited to launch the Ocean State Star Awards and spotlight the talented students and teachers involved in high school musicals! When you speak with current theatre performers, they often say that they fell in love with the performing arts by being involved in theatre when they were teenagers. We hope that high schoolers participating in our inaugural year will be inspired to continue their involvement in the performing arts for years to come!"

The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) proudly presents top-notch national touring Broadway productions and some of the biggest names in comedy and concerts. PPAC is committed to providing all communities with access to the performing arts through a wide array of Community Outreach and Engagement programming, including the NEW Ocean State Star Awards; to learn more about individual programs, please visit www.ppacri.org/outreach

Located in the heart of Providence's arts and entertainment district, PPAC is the second largest theatre of its kind in the country. The Loew's Theatre Building, which is the historic home of PPAC, opened in October 1928. Designed by Chicago architects Rapp & Rapp, the venue is praised for its beauty and grandeur. PPAC is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been ranked by Pollstar as one of the Top Venues in the world.

The Jimmy Awards / The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHMMTA) is a national talent showcase celebrating outstanding high school student achievement and recognizes the importance of theatre arts education in schools.

The NHSMTA focuses much needed attention on the meaningful work being done by dedicated teachers and students with wide ranging talents on and off the stage, engages families in the activities of their children, ignites new partnerships between theatres and the schools in their area, and contributes to the development of future audiences for live performing arts in communities across America.

The Providence Performing Arts Center is pleased to participate in the 2023 Jimmy Awards / The NHSMTA in New York City. The program is designed to connect promising young performers to the professional theatre industry. The program is the culmination of nearly 50 regional high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Approximately 140,000 students in about 1,800 schools participate.

Presented by The Broadway League Foundation Inc., the NHSMTA invites one Best Actress and one Best Actor nominee from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a week-long theatre intensive that includes coaching, training, and rehearsing led by some of Broadway's most accomplished professionals. Following all their combined efforts throughout the week, the nominees will all perform during a talent showcase performed live in front of an audience at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. The coveted Jimmy Awards are presented for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor. Each recipient is awarded a $10,000 check to further his/her education, and many other honors and scholarships are awarded during the ceremony.

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