The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors Announces 2018 Nominees

The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors announced today the 2018 nominees who will compete in front of a panel of nationally recognized judges on Monday, May 21, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. at San Jose'sCenter for the Performing Arts (255 S. Almaden Blvd). Sponsored by Children's Musical Theater San Jose and Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander Presentation, this regional awards competition recognizes outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre outside of the Los Angeles area. Tickets for The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors are $25 and available now by visiting www.cmtsj.org/ritamorenoawards or calling 800-982-ARTS (2787).

This year's nominated schools are:

• Arcata High School, Arcata, CA
• Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, CA
• Coalinga High School, Coalinga, CA
• Cosumnes Oaks High School, Elk Grove, CA
• Dublin High School, Dublin, CA
• Junipero Serra High School, San Mateo, CA
• Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School, Novato, CA
• Paso Robles High School, Paso Robles, CA
• Presentation High School, San Jose, CA
• Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
• Sequoia High School, Redwood City, CA
• St. Francis High School, Sacramento, CA
• The Harker School, San Jose, CA
• Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA

This year's individual nominees are:

OVERALL PRODUCTION:

• Archbishop Mitty High School, Bullets Over Broadway
• Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School, The Boys from Syracuse
• Presentation High School, Beauty and the Beast
• Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, Young Frankenstein
• St. Francis High School, The Boyfriend
• Sequoia High School, Chicago

LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:

Jack Bloome
"David Shayne" in Bullets Over Broadway
Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)

Charles Dierkhising
"Dromio of Ephesus" in The Boys from Syracuse
Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School (Novato, CA)

Nicky Dovydaitis
"Billy Flynn" in Chicago
Sequoia High School (Redwood City, CA)

Tyler Harding
"Beast" in Beauty and the Beast
Presentation High School (San Jose, CA)

Cole Sisser
"Igor" in Young Frankenstein
Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (San Francisco, CA)

Zach Smallman
"Riff" in West Side Story
Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo, CA)

LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:

Vero Ballejos
"Millie" in Thoroughly Modern Millie
Cosumnes Oaks High School (Elk Grove, CA)

Ariella Berkman
"Inga" in Young Frankenstein
Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (San Francisco, CA)

Sophia Bouzid
"Anita" in West Side Story
Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo, CA)

Madelyn Davis
"Olive Neal" in Bullets Over Broadway
Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)

Lucy London
"Adriana" in The Boys from Syracuse
Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School (Novato, CA)

Stefanie Richardson
"Fantine" in Les Misérables
Hillsdale High School (San Mateo, CA)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:

Max Leininger
"Baby John" in West Side Story
Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo, CA)

Milo Mateer
"Hot Blades Harry" in Urinetown
Arcata High School (Arcata, CA)

Conor Sherry
"King Herod" in Jesus Christ Superstar
Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, CA)

Jack Stickler
Mr. McQueen in Urinetown
Dublin High School (Dublin, CA)

Luke Walker
"Eugene Florczyk" in Grease
Coalinga High School (Coalinga, CA)

Hunter Yocom
"Bobby Van Husen" in The Boyfriend
St. Francis High School (Sacramento, CA)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:

Kalisse Ajlouny
"Madame de la Grande Bouche" in Beauty and the Beast
Presentation High School (San Jose, CA)

Mykia Campbell
"Patty" in Grease
Coalinga High School (Coalinga, CA)

Margaret Carroll
"Madame Thenardier" in Les Misérables
Hillsdale High School (San Mateo, CA)

Christina Cesnik
"Grandmother Tzeitel" in Fiddler on the Roof
Valley Christian High School (San Jose, CA)

Kaila Rucker
"Maisie" in The Boyfriend
St. Francis High School (Sacramento, CA)

Jadyn Steaffens
"Brigitta" in The Sound of Music
Paso Robles High School (Paso Robles, CA)

Judges for the evening of May 22 include casting director Michael Donovan, producer, director and choreographer Andy Ferrara, and actress Wendy Rosoff.Winners in the 'Best Lead Actor' and 'Best Lead Actress' categories that evening will join regional winners from around the nation at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA)-also known as the Jimmy™ Awards-in New York City, where they will perform on Monday, June 25 on Broadway's Minskoff Theatre stage before industry experts and compete for scholarship opportunities to New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. Tony Award winner Laura Benantiwill serve as host.

80 high school students from 40 regional programs across America will compete for the Jimmy® for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress at the tenth annual presentation in New York City. All nominees will prepare for their debut on a Broadway stage during a ten-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio with Broadway faculty members, plus other theatre professionals.

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards was established in 2009 to elevate the importance of theatre arts education in schools and reward excellence in student performance. The program impacts over 100,000 students annually who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by forty professional theatres throughout the United States.

Since its inception, NHSMTA has been the catalyst for more than $2,000,000 in educational scholarships awarded to deserving young performers. Also known as The Jimmy Awards, named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, this year-round program is administered by The Broadway League Foundation, Inc., The Broadway League's charitable foundation. Its mission is to enlighten and increase the public's knowledge, appreciation and awareness of the theatrical arts and to provide a forum for the discussion of issues relating to the preservation and promotion of live theatre as a vital and culturally significant artistic medium.

Thanks to the support of its participating League member theatres and donors, NHSMTA continues to grow. In 2012, the program inspired PBS to produce a 3-part documentary series called "Broadway or Bust," which followed students on a journey from their hometown competitions to their debut at the Minskoff Theatre. The series premiered in September 2012 and was showcased in 100% of PBS's Top 50 strategic markets, ranking as one of their most highly rated programs. It remains popular viewing at www.pbs.org.

The depth, scope, and education-centric mission of NHSMTA coupled with its extensive television and media exposure has made participating in the program an aspiration for a growing number of high schools. Based on feedback from participating theatres, school administrators are now directing both human and financial resources to improve the quality of theatre arts education in their districts. This renewed enthusiasm for the performing arts in schools is already helping to invigorate local theatres and the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.nhsmta.com.