Blake Lafita and Francesca Iacovacci Win the 'Broadway Star of the Future Award'

The winners of the 'Broadway Star of the Future Award' are Blake Lafita and Francesca Iacovacci, who performed in Palm Harbor University High School's production of Sunday in the Park with George.

In 2009, the Straz Center created the Broadway Star of the Future Award to recognize one male and one female high school thespian student each year for their outstanding performance in a musical theater production.

The winners are selected during the annual Florida State Thespian Conference and they will go on to represent the state of Florida and the Straz Center at The National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City.

The next annual NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS (NHSMTA)/JIMMY™ AWARDS will take place on Monday, June 27, 2016 at 7:30pm at the Minskoff Theatre, 200 West 45th Street in Manhattan. The Broadway League Foundation will be overseeing the centralized operations of this program for the second year.

High school students from across America will compete for the coveted Jimmy™ Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress at the eighth annual presentation. The talent showcase will feature dynamic ensemble and solo performances. Tickets will be on sale to the public at a soon-to-be announced date.

"What we have is a real life GLEE happening in communities all over the country! 50,000 students from 1,000 schools participated in qualifying high school musicals last season, and 52 of them representing 27 cities competed to be selected as best actress and best actor at the 2015 NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS last June. We couldn't have enjoyed the first year of presenting the Jimmy Awards more... unless we had more kids competing," said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. "More information will be announced soon, but we will have even more nominees in 2016 with an enhanced format to create the best experience in the country for the next generation of Broadway performers!"

Student performers qualify to compete in the national program by winning top honors at regional high school musical theatre awards competitions presented by an arts organization headed by a Broadway League member. Over 1,000 high schools and 50,000 students participate in these annual events. Since its inception in 2009, the NHSMTA has enabled over $1,000,000 in university and conservatory scholarships to be awarded to talented students at the national and local level-several of whom have already been cast in Broadway, Touring and West End productions.

NHSMTA nominees will prepare for their Broadway debut during a week-long professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio on Broadway faculty members plus other theatre professionals. Winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts.

Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC and Pittsburgh CLO, NHSMTA's mission is to raise the profile of musical theatre in schools, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Also known as The Jimmy™ Awards, in honor of legendary Broadway producer/theatre owner James M. Nederlander, the NHSMTA is supported by many leading theatre industry organizations. More information about the National High School Musical Theatre Awards can be found at nhsmta.com.

The Broadway League will conduct the program through The Broadway League Foundation, which acts as its philanthropic arm. Part of the Foundation's mission is to enlighten and increase the public's knowledge, appreciation and awareness of the theatrical arts, and since its founding in 1993 has supported a number of projects to help preserve Broadway's heritage and expose new audiences to Broadway theatre. The Foundation is a corporation organized under the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law of the State of New York, the purposes of which are exclusively charitable as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

For more information about the National High School Musical Theatre Awards visit www.nhsmta.com.

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