The Smith Center for the Performing Arts has announced the winners of its 2021 Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards (NVHSMTA), which The Smith Center held virtually this year to recognize the achievements of students in Nevada’s high school musical theater programs in spite of the pandemic.
The winners included Luis Gonzalez Galindo from Rancho High School and Molly Martin from Green Valley High School as the recipients of the prize for performances by Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress.
Aaron Kirkpatrick from Coronado High School and Audrey Freund from Las Vegas Academy of the Arts also earned the year’s two Spotlight Awards.
The event, now in its eighth year, was created by The Smith Center to foster the next generation of talented performers, as well as highlight the high-quality performing-arts education available in Nevada.
This year, a total of 17 musical theater students from 10 Nevada high schools submitted audition videos based on approved qualifying roles for this year’s virtual Jimmy Awards.
The winners were chosen by a panel of impartial judges comprised of several respected members of the performing arts community, including award-winning vocalist and “Las Vegas’ First Lady of Jazz” Michelle Johnson; Broadway actor and dancer (“Hamilton”) Justin M. Bryant; critically acclaimed singer (“Phantom of the Opera”) Kristi Holden; professional actor (HBO, Showtime and NBC), director and teacher Barbara Gulan; and CEO, President and Artistic Director of Broadway in the Hood Torrey Russell.
The Jimmy Awards is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance and elevating the importance of theater arts education in schools. As presented by the Broadway League Foundation, the Jimmy Awards program has, in past years, invited two nominees from multiple regions across the U.S. to New York City to participate in a theatre intensive including coaching and rehearsals with Broadway professionals in preparation for a one-night-only talent showcase on a Broadway stage.
In 2021, all coaching, rehearsals, and activities for the Jimmy Awards will take place online for the 72 Jimmy nominees from 36 programs around the US. This will culminate with two talented students presented with a Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor award with a total of 20 awards and scholarships available to participants.
Unlike similar awards programs across the country, The Smith Center does not charge a fee for schools and students to participate in the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards.
The Dr. Keith Boman Fund provides valuable support for The Smith Center’s Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards program.
For more information about the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards and to learn how to participate in the 2021 – 2022 school year, click here.
