Interview: Mia Nelson of JIMMY AWARDS SEMI-FINALIST at Jimmy Awards

Rosemount High School student Mia Nelson was named as a Semifinalist at the 14th annual National High School Musical Theater Awards (Jimmy Awards®), a coast-to-coast celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performance. The 2023 Jimmy Awards featured 96 nominees from 48 regional awards programs making their debuts on a Broadway stage. Nelson’s trip to New York followed her performance in Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Showcase last month at the historic State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. The Trust’s annual event formally recognizes the extraordinary achievements of the students and educators who make up Minnesota’s vibrant high school theater community. At the event, Hennepin Theatre Trust announced that Nelson and Joe Jacobson (St. Francis High School, graduating senior) would represent Minnesota at the Jimmy Awards®. Nelson’s semifinalist award—announced in front of a sold-out audience at the historic Minskoff Theatre on Broadway in New York City—earned her a $2,000 scholarship to further her education.

A rising senior at Rosemount High School, Nelson started performing at the age of 11 and hasn’t stopped since. She is part of the Tri-M Honors Society, the school’s highest choir (Concert Choir) and the advanced dance tech program. Outside of school, she has trained at Heartbeat Performing Arts Studio in Apple Valley since 2019 and is a Senior Academy and Company member, winning the title of “Dancer of the Year”in 2022. Nelson also takes weekly piano and voice lessons with Sarah Shervey. Some of her favorite roles include Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz), Viola (Twelfth Night Musical Adaptation), and Eileen Evergreen (Nice Work if You Can Get It). Nelson hopes to pursue a career in musical theater. Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Education program is an essential part of arts education in many Minnesota schools. Each year, the program helps nearly 8,000 students in more than 100 high schools build confidence, critical thinking, empathy, a sense of community, knowledge and appreciation of theater. Spotlight Education supplements and enhances arts curricula through production assessments, workshops and arts journalism, increasing equitable access to quality theater education.

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, better known as the Jimmy Awards®, is a coast-to-coast celebration of outstanding student achievement in theater. The 2023 Jimmy Awards featured 96 nominees from 48 regional awards programs making their debuts on a Broadway stage. During this unforgettable talent showcase, a panel of judges selected two students to receive the coveted awards of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. The program impacts 140,000 students who participate in nearly 50 regional high musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $6,000,000 in educational scholarships.

We chat with Mia Nelson about her Jimmy Awards experience.

How was the experience of the Jimmy Awards?

My experience at the Jimmy Awards was truly a life-changing experience that I will never forget. Waking up in New York and participating in the Jimmys felt like I was living in a dream. Sharing this experience with 96 other nominees from across the US – they were all so amazingly talented. But what was really special was that all the nominees were so nice and kind, and they all share the same passion and love for musical theater. I made so many great friends that I am sure will be lifelong friends.

What were some of the highlights of your time there?

There were so many memorable moments in my time there. To start off, we got to stay and rehearse at The Juilliard. I am so appreciative to be given the opportunity to work with and learn from such amazing directors, choreographers, voice coaches, and other Broadway professionals, such as Van Kaplan, Keisha Lalama, Geoffrey Ko, Luis Salgado, Desi Oakley, and Daniel Green. We got to meet multiple Broadway stars such as Ben Platt, Andrew Barth Feldman, Corbin Bleu, Eva Noblezada, and more! One moment I’ll never forget is when we performed live on a Broadway stage (the Minskoff Theatre is where The Lion King performs). Another one of my most memorable experiences was walking through Times Square one night, and I saw my face on a huge billboard in Times Square along with the other Jimmy nominees! But getting to spend the whole experience with my fellow Minnesota nominee, Joe Jacobson and my Spotlight Education chaperone, Ari Koehnen Sweeney (Director of Creative Art Partnerships for Hennepin Theatre Trust/Spotlight Education) made the whole experience even more special.

What did it mean for you to be named a semifinalist?

I felt so incredibly honored to be chosen as a semifinalist. Musical theater is the career I want to pursue in my future. When I was younger, I would watch the Jimmy Awards on YouTube and dream about being there, so getting the opportunity to perform on The Jimmys stage was a dream come true! I am so grateful to Hennepin Theatre Trust/Spotlight Education, the Broadway League Foundation, and everyone associated with the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmys). The whole Jimmy Award experience was absolutely amazing and has proved to me even more how much I want to pursue a career in musical theatre.

What have you taken away from this experience that you will use with you down the road?

Throughout my time there I have learned so many things that I will continue to use and never forget as I get older, both from a performance perspective and from a life perspective. One thing I truly learned and experienced being there was the idea of really living in the moment and going into it with full effort and presence where you won’t end up regretting anything afterwards. They told us from the first day to really soak up every second because you only will experience this kind of thing once. I tried to live by those two ideas while I was there and by the end of it, I left feeling very proud of myself and with so many wonderful memories.

Congratulations Mia and thank you for your time! 

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