2016 Jimmy Awards

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.

2016 Jimmy Awards

View the 2016 Nominees

Download the Playbill

About the Event