<p>So far, 2 Texas State future freshman are in (boys)! Who else is going??? I'm so excited!</p>
<p>What are these and how do kids get into them?</p>
<p>Calliene-I don’t know if you watched Broadway or bust on PBS or have heard about the Jimmy Awards but I believe that’s what theatremomma may be referring to. If cc doesn’t erase this link [The</a> National High School Musical Theater Awards](<a href=“http://nhsmta.com/]The”>http://nhsmta.com/) you can check it out there. If I remember correctly you have to have had the lead in your school show this past year and your school has to have an active thespian troupe. I think you might need to compete state wide and then 2 from that state can go…I’m sure if you google the competition you can find out more and others more knowledgable than I will answer.</p>
<p>You don’t need a thespian troupe. We don’t have one. On their website you can find the list of programs that participate. Participants have to be connected to a theatre organization. They see the shows, judge and give out awards. They send a girl and a guy to the National Awards.</p>
<p>There’s also an incoming Texas State MT girl going (representing Florida), and an incoming Hartt MT boy (representing North Shore/Mass). Paper Mill in New Jersey hasn’t had their awards yet, but in that group of nonimees there’s another incoming Texas State MT girl up for Best Actress and an incoming Baldwin Wallace boy up for Best Actor (among others whose details I don’t know). </p>
<p>Participants represent different regional theatre awards from many areas of the country, but I’m not sure why some of those regional awards are represented at the Jimmys and not others. It’s a really wonderful program, though, and the participants have incredible experiences!</p>
<p>What a great opportunity. Best of luck to all the CC’ers</p>
<p>To elaborate a little more for those not familiar with these awards, nominees come from a designated set of theatres around the country that hold Tony-like award ceremonies for high school musicals (there are around 30 participating theatres). The process varies from theatre to theatre, but I think for most programs the judges go around and see high school shows, select nominees for various Tony-style awards, and winners are announced in a large ceremony that usually includes performances by the casts nominated for best musical (just like the Tony’s). The best actor and actress winners get to go to NYC to participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, AKA the “Jimmy’s.”</p>
<p>In our city, the ceremony is quite a production, but there is a bit of a problem with the awards - only a limited number of schools can participate (on a kind of first-come, first-served sign-up basis), so the best kids don’t always get a shot.</p>
<p>My daughter is also headed to Texas State and she was nominated up here in Seattle. Unfortunately, the theater here doesn’t participate. It’s too bad because my daughter won in her freshman year but didn’t get to go. Ours is a state wide award program.
There is another CC’er that has been nominated with my daughter this year, she won last year. </p>
<p>Our program is very elaborate too. It is a magical night for everyone even if the lead winners don’t get to go to NYC. Ours isn’t limited, I think they had 105 shows participate this year. They do limit the amount of shows (2) that each school can compete for.</p>
<p>Edit to add: some theaters may not participate because of the cost. There is an entry fee and I think the theater is responsible for getting the two students and maybe a chaperone to NYC. just a guess??</p>
<p>If the initials of the girl representing Florida are CL- then she is amazing! Her school has sent a winner every year. That school is a private school and their theatre also serves as a community theatre. It’s a HUGE and beautiful theatre. I saw her in a production at state two years ago with the boy who won the national ward last year and he, too, was amazing in that production. However, I do not believe these awards are fair as there are so much politics involved.</p>
<p>As usual, a shout out to fellow CC’ers and looking for a chance to congratulate (and maybe meet) others starts to turn into something else… signing off and not coming back. Good luck to everyone! But stir it up if you must. I’m not watching it.</p>
<p>The winners of these 30 (and growing every year) regional competitions, spend a week housed at NYU learning from Broadway veterans and the week culminates with a revue type of competition/show on a Broadway stage. It is a great experience for the kids involved. They get to see a couple of shows too. Not a bad experience!</p>
<p>The Gene Kelly Awards in Pittsburgh, sponsored by Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, were one of the first celebrations of this kind, and the same people who put that program together are heavily involved in the “Jimmy” Awards, directing, musical direction choreography, etc. I’ve been to the Kellys a bunch of times and it is a lot of fun.</p>
<p>I know there are 7 or 8 former NHMTA participants in the program at Point Park right now, or recently graduated.</p>
<p>Break a leg to anyone here who is participating!</p>
<p>Yes - break a leg to all those lucky enough to participate!</p>
<p>We just returned from “The Jimmy’s” (NHSMTA) and it was unforgettable to say the least. My D made wonderful connections in the industry, made friends with so many talented kids, learned so much – all reinforcing her love for this field. We thank our host Theatre and Awards in Kansas City (Starlight Theatre Blue Star Awards) for the unbelievable opportunity. She also made friends with one of her upcoming MT Classmates at college, so that was a tremendous bonus.</p>
<p>For everyone who’s interested in watching, this years medleys are finally up on youtube! Just go to the nhsmta channel and they are the recent uploads.</p>
<p>Luv MTs: your daughter is so talented! Love her! I was up there performing as well. I was looking at the forum and was hoping to be able to contribute a little. The theatre organization needs to be connect to the Nederlander organization (named after Jimmy Nederlander). The theaters that participate, I’m pretty sure, have to be Nederlander. I was at the Triangle Rising Star awards at DPAC of NC and they’re a Nederlander theatre.</p>
<p>ToucanSam, congratulations to you (and luvMTs, congrats to your daughter), on what I am sure was a life-changing week! The medleys are great.</p>
<p>My son was nominated for a Gene Kelly, Best Actor, award here in Pittsburgh this year. It was an experience he’ll never forget. I can’t say enough good things about it.</p>
<p>I love watching the NHSMTA on youtube, sooo many talented kids!</p>
<p>Thanks ToucanSam and CollegeSearchDad for the nice words!</p>
<p>ToucanSam, participating theatre programs do not have to be associated with the Nederlander Theatre Organization. They do have to pay to participate in the program in order to send their respective Best Actor and Actress Winners to the Jimmys (NHSMTAs) in NY. The fee may preclude some regional theaters from wishing to sponsor their program winners. </p>
<p>It’s a wonderful opportunity for the participants to get firsthand exposure to training and advice from Broadway talents and casting agents. The winners are also eligible for a partial scholarship from NYU, but I don’t believe any of the winners to date have taken advantage of the offer. They’d already committed to other highly ranked college MT programs.</p>
<p>I was wondering if anyone has taken advantage of the scholorship and thinking they would likely have to commit to a school by the time the winners are announced. The 2014 awards arn’t held until 06/30/14. </p>
<p>Below are the Best Actor and Actress awards for 2013:
Each student received $10,000 from the Nederlander Organization to further her and his education and they are eligible for four-year merit and need-based scholarship assistance to attend the New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama, contingent upon acceptance into the program.</p>