The 11th annual Jimmy Awards ceremony will be streamed live in its entirety on The Jimmy Awards Facebook and YouTube pages on Monday June 24, and two local high school musical performers will be right in the middle of it.
The first is Anna Gassett, who recently graduated from Cor Jesu Academy, and lives in South County, Missouri. She is a Muny Teen and dances at Yvonne Meyers’ Professional Dance Center studio.
Michael Harp is the second student traveling to New York. He will be a senior at Althoff High School in Belleville, Illinois, lives in Swansea, Illinois, and is also a Muny Teen.
The two won outstanding actress and outstanding actor, respectively, in the recent St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards, produced by The Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, The Muny and The Fabulous Fox Theatre. The two students won for their roles in Cor Jesu Academy’s production of “42nd Street.” The outstanding actress and outstanding actor winners in the St. Louis awards program are given the opportunity to travel to New York (all expenses paid) to compete in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (aka The Jimmy Awards) program and to participate in a week-long professional development experience.
The Jimmy Awards will take place at the Minskoff Theatre, 200 West 45th Street in Manhattan, hosted by Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winner Ben Platt, who recently finished filming the Ryan Murphy series, “The Politician,” premiering Sept. 27.
Through Livestream, The Broadway League Foundation and the 2017 Tony Award- winning Best Musical “Dear Evan Hansen” will present the Jimmy Awards live on Facebook and YouTube. Apples and Oranges Arts is the livestream and video production partner. The official media partner is WABC-TV. The livestream will also include special content for those watching the ceremony online.
The ceremony will include 86 participants from 43 regional programs across the country. Nominees will compete for the coveted Jimmy Awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. The talent showcase will feature dynamic ensemble and solo performances, as well as appearances by Broadway stars.
“Family, friends and fans will have the chance to root for this year’s Jimmy Awards nominees and Broadway’s next generation from wherever they may be in the world. This is your opportunity to see Broadway’s future stars at the very beginning of their careers,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League. “We’re delighted that ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ will join us again to livestream this event that will inspire and dazzle everyone watching and celebrate young talent from across the country!”
“Dear Evan Hansen” producer Stacey Mindich said, “I’m so proud that we’re able to continue this tradition and help introduce people all over the world to the Jimmy Awards. They remind us all why we fell in love with theater, and why providing theater programs in schools is so important. I’m thrilled we can have a small part in celebrating these programs and the incredible talent that comes out of them.”
Jimmy Awards nominees will prepare for their debut on a Broadway stage during a nine-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts, New Studio on Broadway faculty members and other theater professionals. Winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts.
Student performers qualify to compete in the national program by winning top honors at regional high school musical theater awards competitions presented by Broadway League member performing arts centers. Over 1,700 high schools and 100,000 students participate in these annual events.
Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO, and Broadway Education Alliance, the mission of the Jimmy Awards/National High School Musical Theatre Awards is to raise the profile of musical theater in schools, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of performers. Since the inception of the program, participating students have earned over $2 million in university and conservatory scholarships. Several student participants have been cast in Broadway, touring and West End productions.
Also during the program, the Inspiring Teacher Award, presented by Wells Fargo, will be bestowed on Matthew Hinson, Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Tasha Partee, Lawrence Woodmere Academy in Woodmere, New York, for the encouragement and inspiration that led their students to win the 2018 Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor.
The Jimmy Awards are presented in honor of legendary Broadway producer and theater owner, James M. Nederlander. For more information, visit jimmyawards.com.
