On Monday, July 1, 2013 two students were presented with Jimmy® Awards for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre at the 5th Annual National High School Musical Theater Awards® (NHSMTA®)/Jimmy Awards®.
The winners were Sarah Lynn Marion, representing the John Raitt Awards for Youth (JRAY) in Fullerton, CA and Taylor Varga, representing the Connecticut High School Musical Theater Awards in Norwich, CT. Each student received $10,000 from the Nederlander Organization to further her and his education and they are eligible for four-year merit and need-based scholarship assistance to attend the New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama, contingent upon acceptance into the program.
Five runners-up each received a $2,500 scholarship toward their future education from the Barry and Fran Weissler Foundation. These winners were Michael Burrell from Mission Viejo, CA; Jillian Caillouette from Norwich, CT; Austin Crute from Atlanta, GA; Martha Hellerman from Madison, WI; and Eva Maria Noblezada from Charlotte, NC.
Three additional awards were presented to Billy Krager of Madison, WI (Best Performance in an Ensemble), Jillian Caillouette of Norwich, CT (Most Improved), and Brian Baylor of East Lansing, MI (Spirit of the Jimmy Awards). Another student, McKenzie Kurtz from Atlanta, GA, was selected to attend Carnegie Mellon University’s 6-week Pre-College Drama program.
Jimmy Award winners were selected by a panel of Broadway brass including Scott Ellis (Roundabout Theatre Company); Kent Gash (New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama); Tony® Award-nominee Montego Glover (Memphis); Rachel Hoffman (Telsey +Co); Alecia Parker (NAMCO); Nick Scandalios (Nederlander Organization); and Bernie Telsey (Telsey + Co).