Broadway In Chicago is delighted to invite high schools across the State of Illinois to participate in the 10th Annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards. In an effort to celebrate students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Broadway In Chicago will be creating a virtual program and online ceremony. The Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards celebrates the excellence in high school theatre throughout the State of Illinois and their many talented students.
Beginning Monday, November 16 at 10AM Central, high school educators may fill out a Student Application form. Application details have changed for the 2021 virtual program and can be found here. Broadway In Chicago encourages all Illinois Public and Private High educators to apply. This virtual program makes participation more accessible to a wider range of schools and their students in Illinois. The deadline to submit Student Applications for the 2021 Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards is Friday, January 15, 2021.
Eligible schools must adhere to the following: the high school must be located in the State of Illinois and student applicants must be a resident of the state, enrolled in grades 9-12 in a public or private Illinois high school. Student applicants must audition with a qualifying song from a qualifying musical listed on The Jimmy Awards® (National High School Musical Theatre Awards®) Qualifying Show List here.
The categories for the 2021 program include Best Actor and Best Actress. Twenty-four nominees (12 actors and 12 actresses) will be selected to compete in a virtual ceremony held on Monday, May 3, 2021, in front of Chicago casting agents and theater professionals.
From the twenty-four nominees, two Illinois student recipients will be awarded Best Actor and Best Actress. Plans are underway to have our two recipients represent the State of Illinois at the 2021 Jimmy Awards® ceremony. Details for the 2021 Jimmy Awards® Ceremony will be announced soon. For more information, go to www.JimmyAwards.com.
Important Dates (Subject to Change)
Student Applications Available: Monday, November 16, 2020 10am Central
Student Application Due: Friday, January 15, 2021
Student Video Audition Due: Monday, March 15, 2021
IHSMTA Virtual Ceremony: Monday, May 3, 2021
The Jimmy Awards®: Summer 2021 (exact date to be announced)
The 2020 Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards along with The Jimmy Awards® were cancelled due to COVID-19. In response, Broadway In Chicago’s Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards recognized the top 24 Outstanding Students via online auditions. The recipients were Alivia Anderson of Westminster Christian School, Spencer Bethers of Cary-Grove High School, Isaiah Blalock of Evergreen Park High School, Elena Crino of Joliet Township West High School, Ricky Falbo of Crystal Lake South High School, Reid Graham of Deerfield High School, Sloan Greenfield of Glenbrook South High School, Alani Gross-Roberts from Chicago Academy for the Arts, Lauren Henriques of Cary-Grove High School, Sophia Jakubowski of Coal City High School, Ava Jones of Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Joseph Kotze of Lincoln-Way East High School, Gavin Leahy of Glenbrook South High School, Allan Lopez of Cary-Grove High School, Caitlin Maguire of York Community High School, Robbie Matthew of Glenbard West High School, Carly Meyer of Glenbrook North High School, Jemma Newby of Joliet Township West High School, Grace Preboy of Minooka Community High School, Alex Quast of HD Jacobs High School, Asher Ramaly of Chicago Academy for the Arts, Claire Ann Santos of Benet Academy, Sean Solem of York Community High School and Quinn Welder of Crystal Lake Central High School.
Photos from the 2020 Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards can be found here.
The Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards have proven to be a steppingstone for young performers, with several appearing in Broadway productions. Two Illinois Best Actors made their Broadway debut- Nathan Salstone (2012 IHSMTA Best Actor) in HARRY POTTER & THE CURSED CHILD, and John Clay III (2013 IHSMTA Best Actor) in CHOIR BOY. Other Illinois winners have also been successful at The Jimmy® Awards: Jonah Rawitz (2014 IHSMTA Best Actor) was awarded the 2014 Jimmy® Award for Best Performance by an Actor, Cecilia Trippiedi (2016 IHSMTA Best Actress) was awarded the 2016 Jimmy® Award for Best Dancer, and Darian Goulding (2018 IHSMTA Best Actor) was a 2018 Jimmy® Award finalist.
ABOUT THE JIMMY AWARDS®
The Jimmy Awards® / The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®) program impacts more than 140,000 students who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of Touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Presented by the Broadway League Foundation, the program invites two winners from each of these regional ceremonies to participate in a theatre intensive including coaching and rehearsals with Broadway professionals in preparation for a one-night-only talent showcase. The program has been the catalyst for more than $4,000,000 in educational scholarships. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.
ABOUT OUR SPONSOR
NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) is the NBC Universal owned-and-operated station in Chicago. In partnership with Telemundo Chicago (WSNS-TV) as a duopoly station, NBC 5 serves the incredibly diverse and bilingual audiences throughout the city and suburbs. As the third largest television market, NBC 5 provides news, weather, community initiatives and more for the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as, areas of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. NBC 5 features daily local news on “NBC 5 News” and local lifestyle content on “Chicago Today.” All original content is available on-air, across streaming platforms, on NBCCHICAGO.COM and on the NBC Chicago Mobile App.
ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 20 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining more than 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre.
For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
Broadway In Chicago Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago
IHSMTA Facebook facebook.com/IHSMTA ● Instagram Instagram.com/ihsmta #BICihsmta