Theater News

2019 Jimmy Awards Names Its High School Nominees

A total of 86 teens will perform at the Minskoff Theatre on June 24.

The 2018 Jimmy Awards finalists
The 2018 Jimmy Awards finalists.
(photo courtesy of the Broadway League)

The nominees have been announced for the 11th Annual Jimmy Awards, to be held on Monday, June 24 at the Minskoff Theatre. Tony Award winner Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) will host this year's ceremony, to be streamed live on on the Jimmy Awards Facebook and YouTube pages.

This year's evening of performances will feature 86 high school students from across America, who qualified 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. Participants will compete for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress as well as other honors and scholarships.

The 2019 nominees include Jeremy Fuentes from New York City; Elyse Bell from La Mirada, California; Janina Colucci from Los Angeles; Rodney McKinner III from Memphis, Tennessee; and more. Click here for the complete list of nominees.

Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO, and Broadway Education Alliance (BEA), the mission of the Jimmy Awards/National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) is to raise the profile of musical theater in schools, recognize dedicated teachers, and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Since the inception of the program, participating students have earned over $2,000,000 in university and conservatory scholarships. Several student participants have already been cast in Broadway, touring, and West End productions.

The 2018 Jimmy Award winners were Andrew Barth Feldman, current star of Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, and Reneé Rapp, Broadway's next Regina George in Mean Girls.