Broadway In Chicago Announces Nominees for 6 Annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards
Broadway In Chicago is pleased to announce the twenty-four students nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, and nominees for Best Production, Best Direction and the Grosh Award for Best Scenic Design for the sixth annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards. The nominees (12 young actors and 12 young actresses), selected after evaluating 74 productions across the state of Illinois, have been invited to participate in the Awards program, which will be held at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) on Monday, June 5, 2017 at 6:00 PM. Sponsored by Disney’s Aladdin and Grosh Backdrops & Drapery, the Illinois chapter of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards serves as an annual national celebration of outstanding achievement in musical theater performance by high school students.
Broadway In Chicago has crafted a workshop with theatre professionals, featuring Adam Jacobs, star of Disney’s Aladdin North American tour, who originated the title role in Aladdin on Broadway, along with his wife Kelly Jacobs, who previously performed in Chicago in the Mary Poppins North American tour. The workshop for these twenty-four nominees will culminate in a performance on stage at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. During the day, nominees will audition for a panel of casting agents and theatre professionals who will choose the recipients of performance awards. A Best Actress and Best Actor winner from Illinois will be sent to New York City, on an all-expense paid trip, for a week-long theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase on Broadway, where a panel of judges crowns the nation’s top performers.
In addition to the workshop, nominees will receive tickets to Disney’s Aladdinin Chicago, currently playing at Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre through Sept. 10, 2017.
An award for Best Direction will be presented to a director(s) from a participating school, an award for Best Production will be presented to a participating school, and the Grosh Award for Best Scenic Design will be presented to a participating school for achievement in outstanding scenic design.
For more information on both awards and complete rules and regulations, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com/about/IHSMTA/. For more information on National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Jimmy Awards, visit www.jimmyawards.com.
LIST OF NOMINEES AND HIGH SCHOOLS
NAME | HOMETOWN | HIGH SCHOOL |
Jordan Radis | Lincolnshire | Adlai E. Stevenson High School |
Meaghan Rivera | Hoffman Estates | Barrington High School |
Justin Smusz | Bolingbrook | Benet Academy |
Frank Gomulka | Lemont | Benet Academy |
Madeleine Barbeau | Bolingbrook | Benet Academy |
Nicholas Orth | Orland Park | Carl Sandburg High School |
Sara Toth | Orland Park | Carl Sandburg High School |
Corey Barlow | Cary | Cary-Grove High School |
Haley Gustafson | Cary | Cary-Grove High School |
Natalie Doppelt | Riverwoods | Deerfield High School |
Brax Melvin | West Frankfort | Frankfort Community High School |
Carly Meyer | Northbrook | Glenbrook North High School |
Darian Goulding | Hampshire | Hampshire High School |
Jack Hradecky | Rockton | Hononegah Community High School |
Edith “Gracie” Stockton | Lake Forest | Lake Forest High School |
Zachary Pearson | Libertyville | Libertyville High School |
Lindsey Doody | Frankfort | Lincoln-Way East High School |
Benjamin Dow | Shorewood | Minooka Community High School |
Dominic Cappuccilli | Mundelein | Mundelein High School |
Maddie Mazzella | Chicago | Saint Ignatius College Prep |
Annie Yamamoto | Hoffman Estates | William Fremd High School |
Erik Martenson | Elmhurst | York Community High School |
Tatum Langley | Elmhurst | York Community High School |
Carina Kanzler | Elmhurst | York Community High School |
NOMINEES FOR BEST PRODUCTION
Benet Academy’s production of All Shook Up
Carl Sandburg High School’s production of Jekyll and Hyde
Cary Grove High School’s production of Evita
Libertyville High School’s production of In the Heights
York Community High School’s production of West Side Story
NOMINEES FOR THE GROSH AWARD FOR BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Cary- Grove High School’s production of Evita
Coal City High School’s production of The Little Mermaid
Hinsdale South High School’s production of Hairspray
Lake Forest High School’s production of Urinetown
Libertyville High School’s production of In the Heights
NOMINEES FOR BEST DIRECTION
Cynthia Burrows, Adlai E. Stevenson High School- Big Fish
Lauren Condon & Brian Wand, Benet Academy- All Shook Up
Rob Boncosky, Cary-Grove High School- Evita
Andy Robinson, Chicago Academy For the Performing Arts – A Little Night Music
Kelly MacBlane & John Wanninger, Lake Forest High School- Urinetown
ABOUT THE JIMMY AWARDS
The Jimmy® Awards/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards™ (NHSMTA) impacts more than 50,000 students who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of Touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. A Best Actress and Best Actor winner from each of these competitions is sent to New York for a week-long theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase on Broadway, where a panel of judges crowns the nation’s top performers. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $1,000,000 in educational scholarships.
In 2012, the program inspired preeminent broadcaster WGBH Boston to produce a 3-part documentary series called “Broadway or Bust,” which follows students on a journey from their hometown competitions to their debut on Broadway. The series remains popular viewing at www.pbs.org. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, the ninth annual Jimmy® Awards will take place on Monday, June 26, 2017 at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Coaching and rehearsals for this one-of-a-kind event will be held Monday, June 19, 2017 through Monday, June 26, 2017 in New York City. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.
ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
Disney’s Aladdin
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, Disney’s Aladdin features music by Tony Award and eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Sister Act), lyrics by two-time Oscar winnerHoward Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony Award and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida) and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Beguelin, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winnerCasey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten!).
Aladdin, adapted from the Academy Award®-winning animated Disney film and centuries-old folktales including “One Thousand and One Nights,” is brought to fresh theatrical life in this bold new musical. Aladdin’s journey sweeps audiences into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance. This new production features a full score, including the five cherished songs from the Academy Award-winning soundtrack and more written especially for the stage.
Tickets for Aladdin at the Cadillac Palace Theatre are on sale now. In Chicago, tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. A select number of Premium Ticket Packages, which include a prime seat location, a commemorative souvenir program and an exclusive merchandise item, are also available for many performances. Group tickets for 15 or more are available by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. For a complete performance schedule for Aladdin, please visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
GROSH BACKDROPS & DRAPERY
Grosh Backdrops & Drapery supplies schools and theaters with an extensive selection of backdrops and drapery at the most competitive pricing. A choice of sizes and beautiful scenes help you enhance any production. Two warehouse locations reduce shipping times and cost. Visit us online to view our entire inventory of 5,000 products in 75 unique categories, check pricing and availability, and to reserve your order today at www.grosh.com.
ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 16 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 well up to 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 PrivateBank Theatre, Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.
For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com
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