2016 Jimmy Awards
Amina Faye
Josh Strobl
View the 2016 Nominees
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About the Event
The eighth annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards®/Jimmy Awards® were held on Monday, June 27, 2016, at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. This one-of-a-kind-event was hosted by stage and screen star, 2016 Tony Award®-nominee Zachary Levi, who just finished starring in She Loves Me, which earned him a 2016 Tony Award® nomination.
The coveted Jimmy® Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor was presented to Josh Strobl representing The Jerry Herman Awards and Amina Faye representing The Blumey Awards.
Both winners were presented with a check for $10,000 to further their education. They will be eligible for a four-year merit and a need-based scholarship to attend the New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama, contingent upon acceptance into the program.
Six finalists each received a $2,500 scholarship toward their future education from the Barry and Fran Weissler Foundation:
- Kailey Boyle, Tommy Awards
- Cameron Chang, The San Diego Ben Vereen Awards
- John Fredrickson, DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards
- Lauren Johnson, Nebraska High School Theatre Awards
- Devin Moore, Gene Kelly Awards
- Marnie Quick, Gene Kelly Awards
Additional awards presented:
Special Recognition Scholarships, presented by Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.:
- Jacob Bush, Triangle Rising Stars
- Emma Heistand, Applause Awards
- Lucas Lowry, Blue Star Awards
- Kaiden Lynn Maines, DSM High School Musical Theatre Awards
- Charlotte Movizzo, The Bobby G Awards
- Curtis J. Salinger, The Bobby G Awards
Best Vocalist, presented by The Shubert Organization:
Mark Mitrano, Stars of Tomorrow
Best Dancer, presented by The Shubert Organization:
Cecilia Trippiedi, Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards
Best Performance in an Ensemble, presented by Disney Theatrical Group:
Devon McCleskey, Popejoy Awards
Rising Star, presented by The John Gore Organization:
Holly Payne, ASU Gammage High School Theater Awards
Spirit of the Jimmys, presented by Music Theatre International:
Muhammad Yunus, Tommy Tune Awards
6 Week Pre-College Drama Summer Program Scholarship, presented by Carnegie Mellon University:
Curtis J. Salinger, The Bobby G Awards
Winners were selected by a panel of judges comprised of notable theatre professionals including Tony Award-winning producers, award-winning casting experts and industry professionals: Kent Gash, Rachel Hoffman, Alecia Parker, Tara Rubin, Nick Scandalios, and Kate Shindle. Additional judges who selected the groups in which the students performed were: Paul Canaan, Wayne Cilento, Kent Gash, Stephanie Klapper, and Cesar Rocha.
An unannounced surprise, former NHSMTA participant Eva Noblezada made an appearance and performed with the nominees. She will be reprising her critically-acclaimed London performance as Kim in the upcoming Broadway production of Miss Saigon.
In addition to host Zachary Levi, presenters included: Drew Gehling (currently starring in Waitress),Lena Hall (2014 Tony Award-winner for Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Zainab Jah (most recently in Eclipsed), Marc Kudisch (three-time Tony Award-nominee)and Bianca Marroquin (returning to Broadway’s Chicago in July).
The production was directed by Van Kaplan and choreographed by Kiesha Lalama, with musical direction and arrangements by Michael Moricz. David Dabbin was Production Group Music Director.
