The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors announced today the 2019 nominees who will compete in front of a panel of nationally recognized judges on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts (255 S. Almaden Blvd). Sponsored by Children's Musical Theater San Jose and Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander Presentation, this regional awards competition recognizes outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre outside of the Los Angeles area. Tickets for The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors are $25 and available now by visiting www.ritamorenoawards.com or calling 800-982-ARTS (2787).
This year's nominated schools are:This year's individual nominees are:
OVERALL PRODUCTION:
LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
STANDOUT ENSEMBLE HONOREES:
Judges for the evening of May 13 include casting director Michael Donovan, producer, director, and choreographer Andy Ferrara, and Broadway actress and musical theater professor Tory Ross Roman. Legendary Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award-winning actress Rita Moreno will meet with all the nominees prior to the ceremony, as well as speak during the ceremony.
Winners in the 'Best Lead Actor' and 'Best Lead Actress' categories that evening will join regional winners from around the nation at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA)-also known as the Jimmy Awards-in New York City, where they will perform on Monday, June 24 on Broadway's Minskoff Theatre stage before industry experts and compete for scholarship opportunities to New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. Tony Award winner Ben Plattreturns as host. 80 high school students from 40 regional programs across America will compete for the Jimmy for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress at the tenth annual presentation in New York City. All nominees will prepare for their debut on a Broadway stage during a ten-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio with Broadway faculty members, plus other theatre professionals. The National High School Musical Theatre Awards was established in 2009 to elevate the importance of theatre arts education in schools and reward excellence in student performance. The program impacts over 100,000 students annually who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by 40 professional theatres throughout the United States. Since its inception, NHSMTA has been the catalyst for more than $2,000,000 in educational scholarships awarded to deserving young performers. Also known as The Jimmy Awards , named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, this year-round program is administered by The Broadway League Foundation, Inc., The Broadway League's charitable foundation. Its mission is to enlighten and increase the public's knowledge, appreciation and awareness of the theatrical arts and to provide a forum for the discussion of issues relating to the preservation and promotion of live theatre as a vital and culturally significant artistic medium. Thanks to the support of its participating League member theatres and donors, NHSMTA continues to grow. In 2012, the program inspired PBS to produce a three-part documentary series called "Broadway or Bust," which followed students on a journey from their hometown competitions to their debut at the Minskoff Theatre. The series premiered in September 2012 and was showcased in 100% of PBS's Top 50 strategic markets, ranking as one of their most highly rated programs. It remains popular viewing at www.pbs.org. The depth, scope, and education-centric mission of NHSMTA coupled with its extensive television and media exposure has made participating in the program an aspiration for a growing number of high schools. Based on feedback from participating theatres, school administrators are now directing both human and financial resources to improve the quality of theatre arts education in their districts. This renewed enthusiasm for the performing arts in schools is already helping to invigorate local theatres and the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.nhsmta.com.Videos