There were 116 high school students who wowed the audience at the Minskoff Theatre, home of The Lion King on Broadway, Monday night to compete in the 17th annual Jimmy Awards.
The prestigious presentation, also known as the National High School Musical Theater Awards, is one of the coveted and celebrated opportunities for teenagers. Countless previous nominees and winners are currently starring in Broadway shows including The Great Gatsby‘s Eva Noblesada, Operation Mincemeat’s Julia Knitel and Jessi Kirtley, Schmigadoon!’s McKenzie Kurtz, and CATS: The Jellicle Ball’s Bryson Battle.
This year’s winners, Jake James from the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – Shuler Hensley Awards in Atlanta, GA and Samia Posadas of The Monte Awards in Tucson, AZ, took home the top prizes of Best Performance by an Actress and Actor. They each received a $25,000 scholarship.
“I’m not gonna lie, I was incredibly shocked,” James, who performed “It’s Hard to Speak My Heart” from Parade, told Broadway Direct after winning. “I looked around and everybody’s clapping. To feel that much support all going into one source of energy at one time is just absolutely life changing.”
He offered these powerful words during his acceptance speech. “In the world we live in right now, this is the only thing you can come to and you can be fully present the entire time. There’s no phones, there’s no distractions…there’s nothing like it.”
“This program has changed my life,” Posadas, who performed “Where Am I Now?” from Lysistrata Jones said upon winning. “I feel like I’ve grown up with the Jimmy Awards having the opportunity to be here my freshman, sophomore and now senior year. It feels very full circle and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
While some students like Posadas have returned multiple times for the Jimmys, it’s the first for many others. Benjamin Struck, 16, of the Patty Duke Awards in Boise, Idaho says getting off the plane at LaGuardia Airport was an experience in itself as he made his way to New York City for the first time. “I didn’t realize that taxi drivers…didn’t realize how often people honk their horn in New York City. People just cut up in the lanes like nobody’s business,” Strunk told Broadway Direct the week before the awards. Struck also got to see MJ, which marked his first Broadway show.
At the Jimmy Awards, Struck performed in one of the character medley groups as Sonny from Xanadu. Cady Santo, 17, from the Ocean State Star Awards in Providence, Rhode Island performed as Mira in The Theory of Relativity. These were the roles they performed in their hometown high school musicals. To get these solo spots at the Jimmy Awards, they had to audition with a shortened version of a song they sang from their high school show. Judges then select the top eight contestants who go on to sing another solo. Santo prepared “A New Life” from Jekyll and Hyde and Struck had “What Do I Need with Love” from Thoroughly Modern Millie in his back pocket.
“Think of the Jimmy Awards as the Heisman trophy for people who have no idea what that is,” Wicked and Former SNL star Bowen Yang, who hosted this year’s award show, kicked off the night. “If it’s your first time here, you’re about to have the most joyful time of my life! It’s the Oscars for people saving up a sick day to see the Evita transfer.”
Yang added that he sat in the mezzanine in 2018 to watch Andrew Barth Feldman and Reneé Rapp win their Jimmys. “And it’s been downhill ever since,” he quipped.
The panel of judges was made up of Tony Award winning producers, casting directors and industry leaders including Montego Glover, Kenny Leon, Joe Machota, Alecia Parker, Marc Platt, Tara Rubin, Thomas Schumacher, Bernard Telsey, and Lia Vollack. Preliminary judges who adjudicated and cast the nominees in the Character and Feature Groups included Kristian Charbonier, Stephanie Klapper, Sammy Lopez, Kevin Metzger-Timson, Dale Mott, T. Oliver Reid, and Rachel Sussman.
One of the unique highlights for a select group of teens was the opportunity to learn from Tony Award Nominee Charlotte d’Amboise, who has played Roxie Hart in Chicago more than any other actress throughout its 30-year run. Seventy six nominees performed a tribute to the legendary Kander & Ebb musical.
One of the biggest pieces of advice Struck received from returning nominee, Collin Carlton, during the week-long process was to “enjoy it and just take one moment at a time, because the process, while it feels long, the days go by so quickly, and before you know it, it’ll be over,” he shared.
The entire experience of performing on a Broadway stage is mind-blowing for most, if not all, these talented students.
“It’s just insane to even think about,” Santo added.
If the magical opportunity came about to plant themselves into a Broadway show? “Eliza in Hamilton is one of my dream roles, and I would love to play her,” Posadas told Broadway Direct moments after winning.
“Pony Boy [in The Outsiders] first over anything,” James said of his dream choice. “I love that show, I love the script, I love the music, and I would, I would die to play that role.”
