Zachary Levi, star of the Broadway revival of She Loves Me, will host the annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards, named in honor of legendary Broadway producer/theatre owner James M. Nederlander. The event, which will feature more nominees and an “enhanced format,” is set to take place June 27, returning to Broadway's Minskoff Theatre.
In 2015 the Broadway League Foundation took over the Jimmy Awards and continue to oversee programming. The event sees more than 50,000 students from over 1,000 high schools throughout the country compete for a chance to travel to Manhattan, where they are housed in the NYU dorms and given the opportunity to rehearse with theatre professionals in the lead up to the finals.
Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, said of Levi, “Having such a talented performer sharing the stage with this year’s nominees will be something they will always remember!”
About the awards, St. Martin said in an earlier press statement, “What we have is a real life Glee happening in communities all over the country! We couldn’t have enjoyed the first year of presenting the Jimmy Awards more… unless we had more kids competing.” This is exactly what is planned for this year's event.
Read Playbill.com's exclusive story in which 2015 Jimmy Award nominees asked their Broadway idols for life advice. See the personal responses from Sydney Lucas, Kelli O'Hara and more.
The Jimmy Awards aim to raise the profile of musical theatre in schools, recognize dedicated teachers and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Student performers qualify to compete in the national program by winning top honors at regional high school musical theatre awards competitions. Since its inception in 2009, the NHSMTA has enabled over $1,000,000 in university and conservatory scholarships to be awarded to talented students at the national and local level—several of whom have already been cast in Broadway, touring and West End productions.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting NHSMTA.COM or TICKETMASTER.COM and range from $39-$89. Premium seats are $250.
(Updated June 9, 2016)
