Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards Announce 2016 Updates; Intent Form Deadline 9/30

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to invite high schools across the state of Illinois to participate in the Fifth Annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards. The Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards celebrate excellence in high school theatre throughout the State of Illinois.

High school educators will need to fill out an Intent to Participate form if they would like their school and students to be considered. Broadway In Chicago encourages all Illinois Public and Private High Schools to apply! Application details can be found at www.BroadwayInChicago.com/IHSMTA. The deadline to submit school applications for the 2016 Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards is Wednesday, September 30, 2015.

The categories include Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Scenic Design of a Musical and Best Overall Production. Twenty-four finalists (12 actors and 12 actresses) will receive tickets to a Broadway In Chicago show, perform on stage at the Broadway Playhouse and compete in front of Chicago casting agents and theater professionals. From the twenty-four finalists, two Illinois winners (one lead actor, one lead actress) will go to New York for an all-expense paid trip to represent the state of Illinois at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards on Broadway in late June 2016.

Important Dates:

School Applications Due: Wednesday, September 30, 2015

IHSMTA Program: Monday, June 6, 2016 (subject to change)

NHSMTA Program: Late June 2016

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) impacts more than 50,000 students annually who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by top professional theatres throughout the United States. A Best Actress and Best Actor winner from each of these competitions is sent to New York for a weeklong theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase on Broadway, where a panel of judges crowns the nation's top performers. Also known as The Jimmy Awards, named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $1,000,000 in educational scholarships. In 2012, the program inspired preeminent broadcaster WGBH Boston to produce a 3-part documentary series called "Broadway or Bust," which follows students on a journey from their hometown competitions to their debut on Broadway. The series remains popular viewing at www.pbs.org. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, the eighth annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards will take place in late June 2016 in New York City. For more information, visit www.nhsmta.com.

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 15 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining well up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago's Loop including the Bank of America Theatre, Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

The 2015 Illinois High School Musical Theatre recipients were Ben Love of Byron, IL (Best Actor), Grace Etzkorn of Lisle, IL (Best Actress) and Joliet West High School for their production of INTO THE WOODS (Best Scenic Design).