FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Amanda Meyer/Tori Bryan Margie Korshak Inc. 312.751.5559/5528 [email protected]/[email protected] THE ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATER AWARDS CHICAGO (March 5, 2015) – Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce the fourth annual Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards held at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 East Chestnut Place) on Monday, June 1, 2015. Schools and students from the state of Illinois are invited to submit and 24 finalists (12 actors & 12 actresses) will be invited to participate in the program. Sponsored by Grosh Backdrops & Drapery and The Mash, the newly-established Illinois chapter of the National High School Musical Theater Awards serves as an annual national celebration of outstanding achievement in musical theater performance by high school students. The finalists will receive tickets to see PIPPIN in Chicago (playing the Cadillac Palace Theatre July 29 through August 9) and will do a workshop with a cast member from PIPPIN. Finalists will perform for a panel of casting agents and theater professionals on stage at the Broadway Playhouse on June 1, 2015. The top two Illinois performers (one actor and one actress) will be invited to attend the National High School Musical Theater Awards with an all-expense paid trip to New York City. To Be Considered: Student performers must play the leading male or female role in the full-length school musical (presented during the 2014-2015 academic year). Note: Nominee must have played the lead role in a full-length high school musical theater production. A supporting role does not qualify. A comprehensive list of eligible roles can be found at www.nhsmta.com. The Grosh Scenic Design Award will also be presented to a participating school for achievement in outstanding scenic design. For more information on both awards, complete rules and regulations, or to download an application, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com/about/IHSMTA/. For more information on The National High School Musical Theater Awards, also known as The Jimmy Awards, visit NHSMTA.com. -more- Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards 2015 Page 2 Applications for the 2015 Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards are now available. Important Dates Applications Due Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 5:00pm Applicants Notified by Friday, May 8, 2015 IHSMTA Program Monday, June 1, 2015 NHSMTA Program June 24 – June 30, 2015 NHSMTA Performance Monday, June 29, 2015 ABOUT THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATER AWARDS The National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) was established in 2009 to elevate the importance of theater arts education in schools and reward excellence in student performance. The program impacts more than 50,000 students annually who participate in high school musical theater competitions sponsored by top professional theaters throughout the United States. Each year, winners of these competitions are flown to New York City to compete at Nationals. The seventh annual National High School Musical Theater Awards will take place on Monday, June 29, 2015 when students will give it their all at The Jimmy™ Awards showcase at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. During this one-of-a-kind event, a panel of judges will choose two students for the coveted awards of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. The Jimmy™ Award is named in honor of James M. Nederlander, legendary Broadway theater owner and producer. Winners are selected by a panel of industry experts. Rehearsals for the National High School Musical Theater Awards will take place Wednesday, June 24, through Tuesday, June 30, 2015. The week’s rigorous schedule will include group rehearsals and individual vocal and acting coaching by Broadway industry professionals, visits from special guests and discussions with working actors, and a night out in Times Square for dinner and a Broadway show. The Broadway League will conduct the program through The Broadway League Foundation, which acts as its philanthropic arm. Part of the Foundation’s mission is to enlighten and increase the public's knowledge, appreciation and awareness of the theatrical arts, and since its founding in 1993 has supported a number of projects to help preserve Broadway's heritage and expose new audiences to Broadway theatre. For more information, please visit www.nhsmta.com. ABOUT OUR SPONSORS PIPPIN PIPPIN is Broadway’s high-flying, death-defying hit musical! Full of extraordinary acrobatics, wondrous magical feats and soaring songs from the composer of Wicked, PIPPIN will lift you up and leave you smiling. This unforgettable new production is the winner of four 2013 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival. Hailed as “an eye-popping, jaw- dropping extravaganza” (NY1), it’s unlike anything Broadway has ever seen! Come experience PIPPIN, one young man’s journey to be extraordinary. Direct from an acclaimed run at Boston’s American Repertory Theater, this captivating new production is directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus (Hair and The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess). It features sizzling choreography in the style of Bob Fosse and breathtaking acrobatics by Les 7 Doigts de la Main, the creative force behind the nationwide sensation Traces. PIPPIN is noted for many Broadway standards including “Corner of the Sky,” “Magic To Do,” “Glory,” “No Time at All,” “Morning Glow,” and “Love Song.” Join us… for a magical, unforgettable new PIPPIN. PIPPIN will play the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W Randolph) July 29 through August 9, 2015. Group tickets for 10 or more are now on sale by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Individual tickets for PIPPIN will go on sale at a later date. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com or www.PippinTheMusical.com and follow PIPPIN on Twitter: @PippinMusical or on Facebook. -more- Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards 2015 Page 3 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. THE MASH The Mash is a teenage media brand created for teens, by teens and about teens, with all content generated by paid student staffers. The Mash reaches a desirable teenage audience via a multi-channel-platform, distributing the print product through high schools, providing compelling viral content online at TheMash.com, daily interaction though social media, and engagement through events and promotional efforts. The Mash captures teenagers’ attention through relevant information and the subject matter they care about most, through multiple vehicles, as dictated by their own peers. ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 15 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 Bank of America Theatre, Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. For more information, please visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com. The 2014 Illinois High School Musical Theater Award recipients were Jonah Rawitz of Buffalo Grove and Julia Lindsey Whitcomb of Belvidere. At the 2014 National High School Musical Theater Awards, Jonah Rawitz was awarded the coveted Jimmy™ Award for Best Performance by an Actor. # # # .