Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards Set for The Smith Center Next Sunday

The Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards is a community-wide celebration that honors the future stars of the stage. It all takes place on Sunday, May 17, 2 p.m. at Smith Center's Reynolds. Tickets are $10 and are on sale now.

Throughout the academic year, students have vied for a spot to participate in the culminating competition in which the nominees will work with industry professional coaches and perform in front of a panel of esteemed judges. To have made it to the awards, participants must have played a leading role in their high school production, and recommended by their respective school.

The two students awarded Best Actor and Best Actress go on to represent Nevada at the National High School Musical Theater Awards in New York City in June. This year's nominees pool consists of 22 students from 12 Clark County School District schools.

The National High School Musical Theater Awards recognizes student's outstanding individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performance. The program aims to create a pathway connecting promising young performers to the professional theater industry. The program is the year-end culmination of more than 30 regional awards programs across the country presented by dozens of professional theater organizations. Finalists in New York are those that are named Best Actress or Best Actor at their regional competition. Approximately 50,000 students across 1,000 schools participate.

While in New York City, participants experience a five-day theatrical boot camp consisting of private coaching, master classes and rehearsals with theater professionals. Their week's journey concludes with a panel of industry experts selecting exceptional students for The Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Actor, which includes a $10,000 scholarship. Students receive opportunities for merit scholarships, professional advancement and other prizes.