Applause Winners Sofia Deler & Tony Moreno Headed to the 2017 Jimmy Awards

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts celebrated excellence in high school musical theater at the 2017 Applause Awards.

The event, boasting a range of students and talent from 32 schools that presented 50 productions around central Florida, took place earlier this month on the Walt Disney Theater stage at the downtown arts center. Thousands of students participated in the program and adjudication process throughout the academic year, and 25 lead performers were awarded Applause Awards.

Selected from that group are two individuals that will represent the central Florida region as they compete in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA), also known as the Jimmy Awards. Tony Moreno, a senior at Trinity Preparatory School, is selected for the Jimmy Award nomination for his performance in Man of La Mancha, and Sofia Deler, a sophomore at Boone High School, is selected for her performance in Songs for a New World.

Named for James M. Nederlander, the legendary Broadway theatre owner and producer, the Jimmy Awards brings students from across the country to New York City for a national celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performance, and elevating the importance of theatre arts education in schools. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, students are afforded the opportunity to work with artists and industry professionals to help develop their craft. Culminating in a ceremony at the week's end, awards for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor are awarded to two students. Moreno and Deler depart for New York City next week, and the ninth annual Jimmy Awards will take place on June 26, 2017 on the stage of the Minskoff Theatre. The event is hosted by Ben Platt, recipient of the 2017 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance of the title character in Dear Evan Hansen, which also won the prize for Best Musical.

Opened in 1908, Florida Hospital is a faith-based institution focused on providing whole person care. It is one of the largest not-for-profit hospitals in the country, caring for more than two million patient visits per year - more than any other hospital in the country, according to the American Hospital Association. The Florida Division of Florida Hospital stretches from coast to coast with 26 hospitals, more than 4,600 patient beds, and more than 32,000 employees. The division includes the Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children, dozens of outpatient facilities and 26 Centra Care urgent care locations throughout Central Florida. Florida Hospital provides a wide range of health services, including many nationally and internationally recognized programs in cardiology, cancer, women's medicine, neurosciences, diabetes, orthopedics, pediatrics, transplant and advanced surgical programs. Florida Hospital is a designated statutory teaching hospital and also trains physicians from all around the world on the newest technologies.

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization operating the state-of-the-art performing arts center in downtown Orlando, Florida. With its opening in November 2014, the performing arts center launched its vision of Arts for Every Life by being a gathering place for creativity and discovery; a vibrant urban destination where artists, audiences and students come to experience, explore and learn. The two-block community destination features the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater, 300-seat Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Seneff Arts Plaza, Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts, the DeVos Family Room, and other event rental spaces. Future expansion includes Steinmetz Hall, a 1,700-seat acoustical theater, along with rehearsal, classroom, office space and commercial development spaces. Dr. Phillips Center is a private non-profit collaborating with the City of Orlando, Orange County, the State of Florida and generous donors.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!