2025 Broadway San Diego Award Winners Revealed

 Broadway San Diego has announced that Laila Varner from The Rock Academy and Bruno Dominguez Martinez from Coronado School of the Arts have been named the winners of the 2025 Broadway San Diego Awards. The Best Musical award goes to Cathedral Catholic High School for their outstanding production of Once Upon a Mattress.

The celebratory event was held on Sunday, May 25, at the historic Balboa Theatre in San Diego. Hosted by The Voice semi-finalist and Broadway San Diego Awards alum Jackie Foster, the evening featured special guests, including past nominees and winners. This year, 33 San Diego high schools participated, nominating students for the Best Actor and Best Actress categories.

High school productions were evaluated through a competitive, Tony® Awards-style adjudication process led by a team of dedicated adjudicators, narrowing the field down to the Top 20 semi-finalists. Leading up to the awards ceremony, those Top 20 students participated in a week-long rehearsal process that included dance, vocal, and acting workshops.

“We bring the best of Broadway to San Diego every year, and this is our opportunity to send the best of San Diego to Broadway,” said Vanessa Ybarra Davis, Vice President of Broadway San Diego. “The talent in San Diego is incredible, and this year is no exception. We can’t wait to celebrate our winners.”

On May 25, a distinguished panel of judges and industry professionals selected Bruno as Best Actor and Laila as Best Actress. These outstanding San Diego performers will now join dozens of other finalists from regional competitions across the country in New York City for a week-long experience culminating in The Jimmy Awards®, a national celebration of student excellence in musical theatre. The 2025 Jimmy Awards will take place on June 23, 2025, at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre, home of Disney’s The Lion King.

Broadway San Diego is grateful for the generous support of its educational partners and sponsors, including The Old Globe, San Diego City College, San Diego State University MFA Musical Theatre Program, The Savannah College of Art and Design, Robert Mickle and Alan Bond, and three anonymous donors. Their contributions help ensure this program continues to uplift and inspire the next generation of performers.