Kendall Becerra of San Diego, California, and Nicholas Barrón of San Antonio, Texas, won Best Performance by an Actress and Actor, respectively, at the 2022 Jimmy Awards June 27 in a ceremony that saw student performers from across the country competing to be named the best in high school musical theatre. Both will receive $25,000 scholarships to further their educations.
Becerra won following a performance of "Breathe" from In the Heights, while Barrón offered "This is Not Over Yet" from Parade. The evening was hosted by High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Kate Reinders.
Watch Becerra and Barrón's winning performances below:
$3,000 scholarships were awarded to six additional finalists: Thomas Beeker, of Denver, Colorado; Sophie Pollono of Los Angeles, California; Dakota Lee Renteria of Las Vegas, Nevada; Symoné Spencer of Durham, North Carolina; Joshua Thompson of Durham, North Carolina; and Anna Zavelson of San Antonio, Texas. $2,000 scholarships were awarded to Kylie Edwards of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, winning Best Dancer presented by Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Carl Robinett of San Jose, California, who won Rising Star for impressive advancement during the Jimmy Awards program, presented by the John Gore Organization; Jackson Chase of Orlando, Florida, winning Best Performance in an Ensemble, presented by Thomas Schumacher and Disney Theatrical Productions; and Joshua Thompson of Durham, North Carolina, who won Spirit of the Jimmys for embodying the spirit of the musical theatre celebration, presented by Iris Smith and Once Upon a Time Productions.
Also receiving $2,000 scholarships, presented by the Shubert Organization, were semifinalists Landry Barker of Dallas, Texas; Noah C. Bowers of Des Moines, Iowa; Vera Brown of Memphis, Tennessee; Joshua Devine of Tampa, Florida; Angelis Gonzalez of Nashville, Tennessee; Hayden Henderson of Logan, Utah; Janiyah McAllister of Tampa, Florida; and Ashley Woytal of East Lansing, Michigan.
Watch the complete opening number below:
The Jimmy Awards ceremony is the annual culmination of more than 40 nationwide regional awards—representing more than 140,000 students at 1,800 high schools across 25 states—honoring the best in high school musical theatre, bringing regional winners together for a week of events, workshops, and master classes with industry professionals in New York City. The week culminates in a final ceremony on a Broadway stage, where nominees compete with performances to earn the top titles and college scholarships. The return to an in-person event followed an online event earlier this year and the cancellation of the 2020 ceremony.
The 2022 ceremony was directed by Van Kaplan and choreographed by Kiesha Lalama, with Geoffrey Ko and Wiley DeWeese serving as music directors. Mary Jane Brennan wrote the evening.
Click here to watch other performances from the evening.
