The Old Globe Winners to Compete at Nat'l Musical Theater Awards

The Old Globe today announced that 2012 Globe Honors winner Nicolette Burton was one of three leading actress finalists at the National High School Musical Theater Awards/The Jimmy™ Awards, which were held on June 25 in New York City. Burton, of Canyon Crest Academy, and Chase Fischer, of Coronado School of the Arts, won top honors at the 2012 Globe Honors competition held on May 21, winning Leading Actress and Actor in a High School Musical and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York to participate in the national competition. This year’s Globe Honors was presented in association with Broadway/San Diego – A Nederlander Presentation.

Burton, a resident of Ramona, and Fischer, a resident of Poway, joined 58 other regional winners from high schools across the country for a rigorous week of workshops, coaching sessions, rehearsals and performances. The award ceremony was co-hosted by Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway, where Burton competed with “Maybe I Like It This Way” from the musical The Wild Party before an audience of over 1,700 theater enthusiasts.

“We’re extremely proud of Nicolette and Chase for representing San Diego so skillfully at the national level,” said Old Globe Managing Director Michael G. Murphy. “All of the competitors in this year’s Globe Honors impressed us with their talent and passion. I’m thrilled that the Globe is able to provide this incredible educational experience to San Diego’s students.”

In addition to Burton and Fischer, this year’s Globe Honors winners also include Jonathan Edzant of Canyon Crest Academy and Kelly Prendergast of Grossmont High School (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre), Patrick Gates of San Diego Virtual Schools and Sara Rose Carr of Canyon Crest Academy (Outstanding Achievement in Spoken Theatre) and Chad Mata of Coronado School of the Arts (Outstanding Achievement in Technical Theatre).

Winners of all Globe Honors categories received $1,000 scholarships, and the winners of the Musical, Spoken and Technical Theater categories participated in a two-day trip to Los Angeles where they went behind the scenes at the Center Theatre Group and visited the historic Pantages Theatre.

The National High School Musical Theater Awards is an annual celebration of outstanding student achievement in high school musical theater. The program commenced in New York City on June 20 with rehearsals, master classes and interviews with theater professionals leading up to the live awards show where The Jimmy™ Awards (named for legendary Broadway producer and theater owner James M. Nederlander) for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress were presented on June 25. Founded by David T. Nederlander in 1912, the Nederlander Organization is currently celebrating 100 years of theater development, ownership, management and production under the guidance of James M. Nederlander. Broadway/San Diego – A Nederlander Presentation is part of the nationally recognized Nederlander Producing Company of America and has presented over 325 shows and events during its 35-year history.

LOCATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($10). For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

CALENDAR: Richard III (6/3-9/29), As You Like It (6/10-9/30), Inherit the Wind (6/17-9/25), Divine Rivalry (7/7-8/5), God of Carnage (7/27-9/2), Allegiance – A New American Musical (9/7-10/21), Good People (9/29-10/28).

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional regional theaters and has stood as San Diego’s flagship arts institution for over 75 years. The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theater's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair and the annual holiday musical, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theaters across the country.