Josh Groban is set to host the Jimmy Awards for the second year in a row, and this time around, the Minskoff Theatre will be teeming with talent from 110 high school musicians deemed worthy of a nomination. According to ABC7NY, the awards ceremony, which celebrates the best of high school musical theater, is going down on Monday at 7:30 p.m. And you don’t have to trek to Broadway to get in on the action; the whole shebang will be streamed live for your viewing pleasure at jimmyawards.com.
The competition is notably fierce this year with the roster ballooning to a record-breaking number of nominees. These 110 theater whizzes are poised to go head-to-head – or rather, to sing, to dance, to act directly into the highly sought-after awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress. Broadway News shares that each nominee has been hand-picked as one of two winners from 55 regional awards programs across the nation, getting not only the chance to shine onstage but also to partake in a 10-day theater intensive right in the Big Apple.
There's also a significant nod to those behind the scenes. Elena Ferrante-Martin of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and KoKo M. Thornton from Enloe High School in Durham took the Inspiring Teacher Award, presented in honor of the late Luigi Caiola, an influential figure in the world of theatrical producing. The Jimmy Awards made sure to recognize the educators who play a pivotal role in guiding these young performers to the grand stage.
Adding to the pageantry, two student reporters have been given the unique opportunity to cover all the buzz and not to just post on social media, but also to receive a masterclass in journalism, courtesy of Broadway News executive editor Ruthie Fierberg. Jayden Hope Fernando from the Rita Moreno Awards and Jose Antonio Morales from The Majestic Empire Foundation's Joci Awards were the lucky picks, having been selected via a nationwide submission process. They are guaranteed to get a real feel for the glitz by also snagging a behind-the-scenes look at a production of a news segment at WABC studios, according to ABC7NY.
For those who cannot to personally attend, the Jimmy Awards have mercifully decided to make the live stream free. From June 23 through 26, if you're connected to the internet, you can dive right into the heart of high school musical drama without spending a dime. The stream kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on the night of the awards, and all the details will be up for grabs ahead of time at jimmyawards.com.
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