Tampa, Fla. – The Straz Center for the Performing Arts has awarded local high school students Chris Loving and Senna Prasatthong-osoth the prize of performing on Broadway in New York City and representing the Straz Center in the 2019 National High School Musical Theatre Awards, known as The Jimmys®, on June 24 at Minskoff Theatre. Along with a record 84 other students from around the United States, Loving and Prasatthong-osoth will work with professional directors and producers and be considered for several recognitions.
Prasatthong-osoth and Loving were selected for this honor on June 2, at the Broadway Star of the Future Awards Showcase in the Straz Center’s Ferguson Hall. Tampa Bay area high school musical theater students and programs were celebrated at this impressive Tony Awards® inspired extravaganza, which featured student talent and musical numbers representing the best of the 2018-19 high school productions.
Prasatthong-osoth’s performance as Ella in Cinderella won the hearts of judges, who voted her female Broadway Actress in a Musical. Prasatthong-osoth, 17, has just graduated from Shorecrest Preparatory School and will be pursue a B.F.A. in musical theater at NYU Tisch in the New Studio on Broadway. Loving, 18, blew judges away in his role as Bert in Mary Poppins. He has just graduated from Palm Harbor University High School and plans pursue a BFA in musical theater.
Loving and Prasatthong-osoth will perform in the 11th annual Jimmy Awards ceremony, which will be streamed live in its entirety and is brought to you by The Broadway League Foundation and 2017 Tony Award winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen. Fans can watch the ceremony on The Jimmy Awards Facebook and YouTube pages. Apples and Oranges Arts is the livestream and video production partner. The official media partner is WABC-TV. The livestream will also include special content for those watching the ceremony online.
Prasatthong-osoth and Loving will join other Jimmy Awards nominees in preparations for their debut on the Broadway stage during a nine-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ New Studio on Broadway faculty members plus other theatre professionals. Winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts. More than 1,700 high schools and 100,000 students participated in competitions nationwide for this honor.
Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO, and Broadway Education Alliance (BEA), the mission of the Jimmy Awards/National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) is to raise the profile of musical theatre in schools, recognize dedicated teachers, and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Since the inception of the program, participating students have earned more than $2,000,000 in university and conservatory scholarships. Several student participants have already been cast in Broadway, Touring and West End productions. The Jimmy Awards are presented by the Broadway League Foundation in honor of James M. Nederlander, and are supported by many leading theater industry organizations. More information about the National High School Musical Theatre Awards program can be found at JimmyAwards.com. The Broadway League Foundation acts as the philanthropic arm of the Broadway League. Part of the Foundation’s mission is to enlighten and increase the public’s knowledge, appreciation, and awareness of the theatrical arts.
More information about the Patel Conservatory is available by calling 813.222.1040 and at www.patelconservatory.org. The accredited Patel Conservatory offers summer camps and classes in dance, music and theater for students of all ages and experience levels. Each year, the Patel Conservatory and the Straz Center’s arts education programs enrich the lives of more than 60,000 students in our classrooms, on our stages and through the community.