PHOTO FLASH: Gregory Jbara, Montego Glover, Aaron Tveit and More at National High School Musical Theatre Awards

Shauni Reutz (Rochester, NY) and Ryan McCartan (Minneapolis, MN) won the Jimmy Awards for Best Actress and Best Actor respectively for their performances. Both also received $10,000 scholarship awards, capping a months-long winnowing process that began with 50,000 students from 1,000 schools. Other Finalists included Kristen Hoover (Pittsburgh, PA), Seth Jones (Kansas City, MO), Mackenzie Orr (Irving, TX), and Breyannah Tillman (Memphis, TN). The four runners-up also received a $2500 scholarship toward their future education. Three additional awards were also presented to Maya Maniar (San Jose, CA) for Best Performance in an Ensemble; Kevin Crowley (New York, NY) for Most Improved; and Mia Gerachis (Houston, TX) for the Spirit of the Jimmy Award.

The evening’s presenters included Tony Award winners Harvey Fierstein, Nikki M. James, and Tommy Tune, as well as Catch Me If You Can star Aaron Tveit. The awards showcase featured performances by 50 student participants representing 25 professional theaters across America.

The 50 teens who made it to New York — 25 girls and 25 boys — got five days of coaching by New York University faculty, had lunch with Priscilla, Queen of the Desert star Nick Adams, spoke with Baby It’s You! star Beth Leavel and had a talk-back session with cast members of The Addams Family after seeing that show.

The National High School Musical Theater Awards is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performance. Winners are chosen by a panel of industry experts including Scott Ellis, Kent Gash, Montego Glover, Rachel Hoffman, Alecia Parker, Nick Scandalios, and Bernie Telsey.

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