2017 Jimmy Award Nominees Announced; Ben Platt to Host Ceremony This Month at the Minskoff!

THE JIMMY AWARDS have announced that 74 high school students from across America will compete for the award for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress as well as other honors and scholarships at the ninth annual awards ceremony. The presentation will take place on Monday, June 26th at 7:30PM at the Minskoff Theatre, 200 West 45th Street in Manhattan.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting JIMMYAWARDS.COM or TICKETMASTER.COM and range from $39 to $95. Premium seats are $250.

This year's awards ceremony is hosted by Ben Platt, who is currently starring in Pasek & Paul's Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen. He won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his portrayal of the title role.

Student performers qualify to compete in the national program by winning top honors at regional high school musical theatre awards competitions presented by Broadway League member performing arts centers. Over 1,300 high schools and 50,000 students participate in these annual events. Since the inception of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) in 2009, participating students have earned over $1,000,000 in university and conservatory scholarships. Several student participants have already been cast in Broadway, Touring and West End productions.

Jimmy Award 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 plus other theatre professionals.

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges comprised of notable theatre professionals including Tony Award-winning producers and award-winning casting experts.

During the ceremony, Brendan Jennings (Burbank, CA) and Larry Robinson (Monroe, NC) will receive the inaugural INSPIRING TEACHER AWARD presented by WELLS FARGO for the encouragement and inspiration that led their students to win the 2016 coveted Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor.

Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO, and Broadway Education Alliance (BEA), NHSMTA's mission is to raise the profile of musical theatre in schools, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Named in honor of James M. Nederlander, the late legendary Broadway producer and theatre owner, The Jimmy Awards are supported by many leading theatre industry organizations. More information can be found at JIMMYAWARDS.COM.

The Broadway League administers the program through The Broadway League Foundation, which acts as its philanthropic arm. Part of the Foundation's mission is to enlighten and increase the public's knowledge, appreciation and awareness of the theatrical arts, and since its founding in 1993 has supported a number of projects to help preserve Broadway's heritage and introduce new audiences to Broadway theatre. The Foundation is a corporation organized under the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law of the State of New York, the purposes of which are exclusively charitable as defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Donations to support the program can be made at JIMMYAWARDS.COM.

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The 2017 National High School Musical Theatre Awards
Participating Theatre Organizations and their Nominees:

City & State	Theatre/Organization	Regional AwardsProgram	Best Actor Nominee	Best Actress Nominee
Albuquerque, NM	Popejoy Hall	The Popejoy Awards	Trey Caperton	Kayla Fallick
Appleton, WI	Fox Cities Performing Arts Center	Center Stage High School Musical Theater Awards	Felix Torrez	Liz Valentin
Atlanta, GA	Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre	Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards	Ramone Nelson	Parker Jennings
Buffalo, NY	Shea's Performing Arts Center	The Kenny Awards	Ian Hayes	Grace Auer
Charlotte, NC	Blumenthal Performing Arts	The Blumey Awards	Justin Rivers	Anna Hertel
Chicago, IL	Broadway In Chicago	Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards	Justin Smusz	Carly Meyer
Cleveland, OH	Playhouse Square	Playhouse Square Dazzle Awards	Brandon Schumacker	Reyna Grace Moran
Dallas, TX	Dallas Summer Musicals	Dallas Summer Musicals High School Musical Theatre Awards	John Fredrickson	Shelby Priddy
Denver, CO	Denver Center for the Performing Arts	The Bobby G Awards	Austin Hand	Elleon Dobias
Des Moines, IA	Des Moines Performing Arts	Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards	Seamus Foley	Marisa Spahn
Durham, NC	Durham Performing Arts Center	Triangle Rising Stars	Nicholas Kraft	Kaylee Terrell
East Lansing, MI	Wharton Center for Performing Arts	Sutton Foster Ovation Awards	Antonio Cipriano	Catherine Elliott
Houston, TX	Theatre Under The Stars	Tommy Tune Awards	Ian Tonroy	Jasmine Rogers
Kansas City, MO	Starlight Theatre	Blue Star Awards	Joey Myers	Stephanie Ainsworth
La Mirada, CA	McCoy Rigby Entertainment	Spirit of the MACY Awards	Adrian Villegas	Maggie Gidden
Las Vegas, NV	The Smith Center for the Performing Arts	Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards	Nathan Sink	Adelynn Tourondel
Logan, UT	MagicSpace/Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre	Utah High School Musical Theatre Awards	Levi Hopkins	Jessica Lewis
Los Angeles, CA	Hollywood Pantages/Nederlander	The Jerry Herman Awards	Cameron Vargas	Brighton Thomas
Madison, WI	Overture Center for the Arts	Tommy Awards	Max Pink	Jessica Minter
Memphis, TN	The Orpheum Theatre	The Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards	Ethan Benson	Asia Smith
Midland, PA	Pittsburgh CLO/Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center	Mancini Awards	Jacob Swanson	Addison Albert
Nashville, TN	Tennessee Performing Arts Center	Spotlight Awards - Nashville High School Musical Theatre Awards	Nathan Keffer	Hatty King
New York, NY	Disney Theatrical Group/Camp Broadway	The Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance	Dean Klebonas	Maddie Rubin
Omaha, NE	Omaha Performing Arts	Nebraska High School Theatre Awards	Lane Mongeon	Lauren Johnson
Orlando, FL	Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts	Applause Awards	Tony Moreno	Sofia Victoria Deler
Palm Springs, CA	Hollywood Pantages/Musical Theatre University	Lucie Arnaz Awards	William Webster	Laurel Bollard
Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh CLO	Gene Kelly Awards	Jake Pedersen	Chloe Kehm
Rochester, NY	Rochester Broadway Theatre League	Stars of Tomorrow	Jack D'Angelo	Shelby Ennis
San Antonio, TX	ACE Theatrical Group, LLC/Las Casas Foundation	Joci Awards	Preston Perez	Adriel Salinas
San Diego, CA	Broadway/San Diego - Nederlander	The San Diego Ben Vereen Awards	Sky Frank	Jillian Strattman
San Jose, CA	Broadway San Jose	The Rita Moreno Awards	Eric Gaydon	Natalie Bourgeois
Schenectady, NY	Proctors	Proctors High School Musical Theatre Awards	Patrick Shannon	Jaynie Parmenter
Seattle, WA	The 5th Avenue Theatre	The 5th Avenue Awards	Samuel Bennett	Morgan Roberts
St. Louis, MO	The Fabulous Fox/The Muny/Fox Performing Arts Center	St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards	Briley Blade	Maggie Kuntz
Tampa, FL	Straz Center for the Performing Arts	Broadway Star of the Future	Christian Meany	Maggie Musco
Tempe, AZ	ASU Gammage	ASU Gammage High School Theater Awards	Sam Primack	Briana Fleming
Tucson, AZ	Broadway in Tucson	Southern Arizona Ben Vereen Awards	Luke Gaff	Sophia Rose Franklin

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE (Charlotte St. Martin, President), founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League's 700-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers who present in nearly 200 markets in North America. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. The Broadway League has recently added a new category for International membership to collaborate with professionals from around the world who produce and present Broadway quality theatre. The Broadway League annually co-presents the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry.

Key League programs and resources include: Kids' Night on Broadway, The Jimmy Awards, Stars in the Alley, Internet Broadway Database (ibdb.com),Broadway.org, SpotlightonBroadway.com, Commercial Theater Institute (with Theatre Development Fund), as well as numerous conferences and forums for our members. TheatreAccessNYC (co-produced with TDF) is the one-stop website of accessible Broadway performances for theatregoers with disabilities. Broadway.org is the League's official on-line headquarters for Broadway in NYC, on tour, and internationally.

For more information visit BroadwayLeague.com, or follow The Broadway League on Twitter @TheBwayLeague and on Facebook at Facebook.com/BroadwayLeague. Download the free Broadway.org and IBDB mobile apps from the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

Broadway theatres are filled with an exciting array of new and classic musicals and plays, providing the perfect experience for every audience. Great seats are available at every price point and are easy to buy online, by phone, or in person at theatre box offices. It's always the perfect time to see a show. Broadway performs every day of the week at multiple curtain times to accommodate every schedule.

Photo Credit: Henry McGee

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