Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards Will Be Held May 6

Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce that the eighth annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards (IHSMTA) will be held at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) on Monday, May 6, 2019, hosted by NBC 5's entertainment reporter LeeAnn Trotter and sponsored by CHICAGO THE MUSICAL (which will play at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from May 7-12). The Illinois chapter of The Jimmy Awards (National High School Musical Theatre Awards) one of the largest programs in the country serves as an annual national celebration of outstanding achievement in musical theater performance by high school students.

Twenty-four nominees (12 actors and 12 actresses) will participate in a workshop led by a CHICAGO THE MUSICAL cast member, perform on stage at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and compete in front of a panel of casting agents and theatre professionals. The top two performers (Best Actor and Best Actress award recipients) will receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City to participate in a performance enrichment program and represent the state of Illinois at The Jimmy Awards , on Broadway. Additional Awards including: Best Production (presented by Guardian Music Travel), Best Direction, and Best Scenic Design (presented by Sound, Production & Lighting) will be presented to participating schools. This year, two new categories will also be added: Best Choreography and Best Ensemble.

All 24 nominated students in the program will receive tickets to CHICAGO THE MUSICAL.

The Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards have proven to be a stepping stone for young performers, with several appearing in Broadway productions. Nathan Salstone (2012 IHSMTA Best Actor) is currently performing in HARRY POTTER & THE CURSED CHILD, and John Clay III (2013 IHSMTA Best Actor) made his Broadway debut this year in CHOIR BOY. Other Illinois winners have also been successful at The Jimmy Awards : Jonah Rawitz (2014 IHSMTA Best Actor) was awarded the 2014 Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor, Cecilia Trippiedi (2016 IHSMTA Best Actress) was awarded the 2016 Jimmy Award for Best Dancer, and Darian Goulding (2018 IHSMTA Best Actor) was a 2018 Jimmy Award finalist.

The 72 participating high schools involved in the program are given opportunities to see Broadway In Chicago shows and receive invitations to special events throughout the year. Recently, students performed with the cast of DEAR EVAN HANSEN (including the star of the National Tour Ben Levi Ross) at Broadway In Chicago's Summer Concert at Millennium Park, in addition to performing with HAMILTON Chicago Company's Miguel Cervantes (Alexander Hamilton) at the Illinois Bicentennial Birthday Party at Navy Pier.

LIST OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

• Addison Trail High School
• Barrington High School
• Benet Academy
• Bloomington High School
• Bolingbrook High School
• Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School
• Byron High School
• Canton High School
• Carl Sandburg High School
• Cary-Grove High School
• Burlington Central High School
• Chicago Academy for the Arts
• Chicago Christian High School
• Coal City High School
• Crystal Lake Central High School
• Crystal Lake South High School
• Deerfield High School
• Downers Grove North High School
• Dundee Crown High School
• Dunlap High School
• Evergreen Park High School
• Farmington Central High School
• Fenwick High School
• Frankfort Community High School
• Geneva Community High School
• Glenbard South High School
• Glenbard West High School
• Grant Community High School
• Grayslake Central High School
• Hampshire High School
• Harry D. Jacobs High School
• Hinsdale South High School
• Homewood-Flossmoor High School
• John Hersey High School
• Kaneland High School
• Lane Tech High School
• Larkin High School
• Leyden High Schools
• Libertyville High School
• Lincoln-Way East High School
• Lincoln-Way West High School
• Loyola Academy
• Mahomet-Seymour High School
• Maine East High School
• Maine South High School
• Minooka Community High School
• Moline High School
• Mother McAuley High School
• Normal Community High School
• Northside College Prep
• Oak Park and River Forest High School
• Palatine High School
• Prairie Ridge High School
• Providence Catholic High School
• Riverside Brookfield High School
• Rosary High School
• Saint Ignatius College Prep
• South Elgin High School
• St. Charles East High School
• Sterling High School
• Stevenson High School
• The Chicago High School for the Arts
• Thornton Fractional North High School
• Thornton Fractional South High School
• Thornwood High School
• Trinity High School
• Vernon Hills High School
• Wauconda High School
• Westminster Christian School
• William Fremd High School
• William Howard Taft High School
• York Community High School

The Jimmy Awards /The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA ) program impacts more than 100,000 students who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of Touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Presented by the Broadway League Foundation, the program sends a Best Actress and Best Actor winner from each of these competitions to New York for a week-long theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only talent showcase on Broadway. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $2,000,000 in educational scholarships. The eleventh annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 24, 2019 at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Coaching and rehearsals for this one-of-a-kind event will be held Monday, June 17, 2019 through Monday, June 24, 2019 in New York City. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.