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What are the Broadway San Diego Awards?
The Broadway San Diego Awards competition event is held each year in May at a theater in San Diego, CA. Finalists from participating high schools will be nominated as Best Actor and Best Actress candidates for their portrayal of a leading role in their high school’s musical theatre production. We will begin the evening with 10 Actor and 10 Actress Nominees. By the end of the evening, 1 Actor Champion and 1 Actress Champion will be selected to represent the Broadway San Diego Awards at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA), also known as the Jimmy Awards®, in New York in June.
What are the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (The Jimmy Awards®)?
The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA) is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement in high school musical theatre that recognizes individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance, and honors teachers and their schools’ commitment to performing arts education. NHSMTA focuses much needed attention on the meaningful work being done by dedicated teachers and students with wide ranging talents on and off the stage, engages families in the activities of their children, ignites new partnerships between theatres and the schools in their area, and contributes to the development of future audiences for live performing arts in communities across America.
The Broadway San Diego Awards Champions (one male and one female) will compete at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City in June. The San Diego winners will join dozens of other finalists from regional competitions across the country for a weeklong experience called Camp Broadway, which includes rehearsals, workshops, lectures and field trips, designed to prepare the students for The Jimmy Awards, which are presented on Broadway at a Nederlander theatre. This year-round program is administered by The Broadway League Foundation Inc.
What are the Jimmy Awards®?
The Jimmy Award is named in honor of James M. Nederlander, legendary Broadway theatre owner and producer.
The Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor is awarded annually to two grand prize winners selected from a group of student performers representing the participating professional theatres. Winners are selected by a panel of industry experts.
What is the Adjudication Process?
(Please note: No adjudicators will be sent to schools for virtual competition)
Adjudications typically take place from October through April. A team of local adjudicators representing the Broadway San Diego Awards will attend a regularly scheduled performance of an approved musical theatre production at participating high schools. The panel of local adjudicators is comprised of volunteers with substantial education, experience and passion for the performing arts. Among our ranks are teachers, directors, choreographers, critics, arts administrators, seasoned performers and musical theatre aficionados. The tally of these scores will determine the nominees for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Musical. Best Actor and Best Actress candidates are judged on performance elements such as poise, movement, voice, and acting. Best Musical candidates are judged on the quality of production values such as direction, casting, sets, lighting, choreography, costumes, orchestra, and crew. There will be a panel of VIP judges at the Broadway San Diego Awards competition. This panel will be comprised of local celebrities, business and community leaders and entertainment industry professionals. Using similar criteria as described above for the local adjudicators, it is the tally of the VIP judges’ scores that will determine the Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Musical winners at the San Diego Competition.
What are the important dates for the 2024 Broadway San Diego Awards?
- October 25, 2024 – Last day to enter your school for Fall semester.
- February 28, 2025 – Last day to enter your school for Spring semester.
- April 25, 2025 – Last day to adjudicate a performance
- May 4, 2025 – In Person Call Backs
- Please Note: Individual 30-minute one-on-one sessions for those who move on from callbacks will be scheduled at a later date.
- May 19-24, 2025 – In Person The 2025 Broadway San Diego Awards Competition
- June 2025 – In Person The Jimmy Awards®
