DC's National Theatre Announces Inaugural Brandon Victor Dixon Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre

The National Theatre has announced the inaugural Brandon Victor Dixon Awards for excellence in high school musical theatre, the newest regional partner of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Jimmy Awards.

Brandon Victor Dixon, a Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award nominee originally from Gaithersburg, Maryland, will lend his name to an awards ceremony for the first time with the kickoff of this program. Dixon, following his Emmy Award nominated turn opposite John Legend as Judas in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar, most recently starred in FOX's RENTonFOX, and as Terry Silver on the STARZ hit POWER.

Beginning this fall, up to 25 public, private, and charter high schools located within a 25 mile radius of The National Theatre will be invited to participate by submitting their fully-staged musical theatre productions for consideration. These schools may nominate up to two students each in the Best Performer categories. A list of qualifying shows and roles can be found at JimmyAwards.com. Judging will begin in fall 2021 and continue through spring 2022, with the BVD Awards ceremony taking place at The National Theatre in spring of 2022.

As an official Regional Awards Program, The National Theatre's Brandon Victor Dixon Awards will feed directly into the national NHSMTA® celebration. The top two winners from the 2021-2022 BVD Awards season will be invited to compete at the 2022 Jimmy Awards® in New York City. The national awards are 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.

Interested schools and teachers can find more information about participating in The National Theatre's inaugural BVD Awards season by visiting BrandonVictorDixonAwards.com. More information about the spring 2022 awards ceremony, including details on how to purchase tickets, will be provided in the coming months.

"When my colleagues and friends at The National Theatre and Nederlander reached out to me about this new chapter of their program, I was excited to become a part of it," said Brandon Victor Dixon. "Arts education has long been an important part of my journey, and I'm happy to be able to help shape this organization's efforts to support the educational opportunities offered to kids in the D.C. area."

"We couldn't be more excited to work with Brandon. His passion for the arts, experiences in advocacy and producing, and his sheer level of talent are just some of the many qualities we know students will look up to," said James L. Nederlander, President of The Nederlander Organization. "The Jimmy Awards, as they are known nationally, honor the legacy of my late father by celebrating the performers of tomorrow. It's compelling to see that legacy continue in D.C. and to honor Brandon in that way as well."

ABOUT THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS

NHSMTA® is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement in high school musical theatre that recognizes individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance, and honors teachers and their schools' commitment to performing arts education. NHSMTA® focuses much needed attention on the meaningful work being done by dedicated teachers and students with wide ranging talents on and off the stage, engages families in the activities of their children, ignites new partnerships between theatres and the schools in their area, and contributes to the development of future audiences for live performing arts in communities across America.

Since its inception, NHSMTA® has been the catalyst for more than $4,000,000 in educational scholarships awarded to deserving young performers. Also known as The Jimmy Awards®, named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, this year-round program is administered by The Broadway League Foundation Inc.

ABOUT Brandon Victor Dixon

A Presidential Scholar Semi-finalist and scholarship winner at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford, Dixon is a graduate of Columbia University and a recipient of the University's I.A.L Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts which is an honor he shares with Tony Kushner (Angels in America), Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change) and Katori Hall (Mountaintop, TINA on Broadway).

Since his professional debut, originating the role of Adult Simba in The Lion King national tour (Cheetah), Dixon was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Harpo in Broadway's The Color Purple, a Grammy for his portrayal of Berry Gordy Jr. in Motown The Musical, and he was nominated for Olivier, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and AUDELCO awards for his outstanding portrayal of Haywood Patterson in Kander and Ebb's The Scottsboro Boys.

Other credits include: ABC's One Life To Live, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, ABC's The Good Wife, and NETFLIX's "She's Gotta Have It". AMAZON'S Modern Love, and NBC's This Is Us.

His company WalkRunFly has produced multiple works including the Tony Award winning Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring Neil Patrick Harris. He is co-founder of The WeAre Foundation (WeAre.org), a non-profit "Turning Art into Action," and Qurator: The Movie Ratings App (available on iOS/Android). Originally from Gaithersburg, Maryland, Brandon currently resides in New York City.