Interview: Chris Loving And Senna Prasatthong Represent Straz Center at JIMMY AWARDS at Minskoff Theatre

Recent high school graduates, eighteen-year-old Chris Loving and seventeen-year-old Senna Prasatthong are in New York, on Broadway preparing to perform on Monday night not only in front of a live audience at the famous Minskoff Theatre in Manhattan, but in front of the world on Facebook Live.

On June 2, the pair won Best Actor and Actress, competing against 42 high schools and many talented competitors at the Broadway Star of the Future Award Showcase at the Straz Center to win the opportunity to compete in the 11th annual Jimmy Awards ceremony.

A record 86 participants from 43 regional programs throughout the country are nominated for the coveted Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress, selected by a panel of industry professional.

Tony Award Winner Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) will host the presentation and last year's award winner Andrew Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen) will be part of the 9-day intensive training.

In preparation for their debut on the Manhattan stage, Chris and Senna and their 84 castmates, work with professional directors, coaches, producers, meet with agents and casting directors and are considered for several recognitions, including a college scholarship during workshops, rehearsals and master classes with Broadway professionals in a training intensive with NYU Tish School of the Arts New Studio on Broadway.

Senna said seeing where Andrew was last year to his current success was encouraging.

Both Chris and Senna agreed that the best part of their experience has been meeting other likeminded actors.

"It's been pretty rigorous as far as rehearsing, but also super fun to meet all the nominees," said Chris. "Really it's a room full of people that love the same thing that you do. The best experience so far has been to meet the people and grow connections throughout the country. I sound like a broken record but that's what this is all about. It's not a competition at this point; it's just being able to meet people and make good connections for the future."

While Chris is taking a year off before diving into college audition process, Senna is excited to be in the same college that she will be attending.

"It's really interesting to working with the people from the school that I will be working with in the fall."

The pair said if they hear their names called at the end of Monday's presentation, the first thing they both would do after recovering from shock, would be to thank everyone who got them to this point.

When asked if there was anything they wanted their fans to know, Senna didn't hesitate.

"This trip has been absolutely incredible. I had no idea what to expect walking in, but everyone has been so supportive of each other. Being in the room with so many people that have the same passion and drive has been amazing. I've never worked with a group of people - the best in their states - so talented and the sound is so professional. I'm so excited to perform on Broadway with these people."

Chris added, "Just that I am having the time of my life. This will probably end up being the best week of my life."

Fans can watch the ceremony on The Jimmy Awards Facebook and YouTube pages on Monday, June 24th at 7:30PM ET. More details including links to the live events will be posted to JimmyAwards.com/Live prior to the event.

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