It's the most magical time of the year! No, we don't mean the recent Tony Awards (though we're obsessed with those, too). We mean the Jimmy Awards, the annual showcase of some of the most talented young performers in America. For one night, high schoolers from all across America gather to sing, act, and dance in front of a panel of professional judges. And that night, a number of them will be named finalists, and two will win the titles of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.
The 15th annual Jimmy Awards ceremony will take place at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre June 24. Josh Groban will host. The ceremony will stream for free beginning at 7:30 PM via the Jimmy Awards official Facebook and YouTube channels. The stream will also be available on Playbill.
The Jimmy Awards isn't just a showcase. It's also been a valuable stepping stone for many of today's most exciting young performers. From Andrew Barth Feldman to Reneé Rapp, below we spotlight 15 Jimmy Awards former winners and finalists who have gone on to achieve their musical theatre dreams. Playbill is only calling out 15, but every Jimmy alum currently working in the entertainment industry can be found here.
2010 Jimmy Awards winner Kyle Selig
Kyle Selig and Erika Henningsen in Mean Girls
2010 Jimmy Awards finalist Stephanie Styles
Corbin Bleu and Stephanie Styles in Kiss Me, Kate
2011 Jimmy Awards winner Ryan McCartan
Ryan McCartan and Jessica Vosk in Wicked
2013 Jimmy Awards finalist Eva Noblezada
Eva Noblezada and Devin Ilaw in Miss Saigon
Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney in Hadestown
Eva Noblezada in The Great Gatsby
2014 Jimmy Awards winner Jai'Len Christine Li Josey as Pearl in SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway
2015 Jimmy Awards finalist Morgan Higgins
Morgan Higgins and Sami Gayle in Bad Cinderella
2016 Jimmy Awards winner Josh Strobl
2017 Jimmy Awards finalist Antonio Cipriano
2017 Jimmy Awards finalist Sam Primack
Sam Primack in Dear Evan Hansen
2017 Jimmy Awards finalist Jasmine Amy Rogers
Jasmine Amy Rogers in Boop! The Betty Boop Musical
2018 Jimmy Awards winner Andrew Barth Feldman
Andrew Barth Feldman in Little Shop of Horrors
2018 Jimmy Awards winner Reneé Rapp
Reneé Rapp in Mean Girls
2019 Jimmy Awards finalist Casey Likes
Casey Likes and cast of Almost Famous
Casey Likes in Back to the Future: The Musical
2021 Jimmy Awards finalist Justin Cooley
Victoria Clark, Justin Cooley, Michael Iskander, Olivia Hardy, Nina White, and Fernell Hogan in Kimberly Akimbo
2022 Jimmy Awards finalist Anna Zavelson
Anna Zavelson and Ruthie Ann Miles in The Light in the Piazza
Kyle Selig
2010 winner Kyle Selig made his Broadway debut in The Book of Mormon in 2016. Selig most recently appeared on Broadway as Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls.
Stephanie Styles
Currently on Apple TV's Loot, 2010 finalist Stephanie Styles made her Broadway debut as Lois Lane in the 2019 revival of Kiss Me, Kate.
Ryan McCartan
2011 winner Ryan McCartan originated the role of Jason "J.D." Dean in Heathers Off-Broadway. Following a recurring role on Disney's Liv and Maddie, McCartan made his Broadway debut in 2018 as Fiyero in Wicked.
Eva Noblezada
2013 Jimmy Awards finalist Eva Noblezada made her Broadway debut in 2017 in Miss Saigon. She's since become a two-time Tony nominee and is currently starring on Broadway in The Great Gatsby.
Jai'Len Christine Li Josey
2014 Jimmy Award winner Jai'Len Christine Li Josey made her Broadway debut in 2017 in SpongeBob SquarePants. She recently released her debut EP called Southern Delicacy.
Josh Strobl
2016 Jimmy Award winner Josh Strobl made his Broadway debut in Dear Evan Hansen. He is currently a cast member in The Outsiders on Broadway.
Morgan Higgins
2015 Jimmy winner Morgan Higgins made her Broadway debut in 2022 in Bad Cinderella.
Antonio Cipriano
2017 Jimmy finalist Antonio Cipriano made his Broadway debut in 2019 in Jagged Little Pill. He's since had numerous TV credits, including The Sex Lives of College Girls and Pretty Little Liars: Summer School.
Sam Primack
2017 Jimmy finalist Sam Primack made his Broadway debut in Dear Evan Hansen. He also starred in that show's national tour, as well as the national tour of The Addams Family.
Jasmine Amy Rogers
2017 Jimmy finalist Jasmine Amy Rogers starred in the Mean Girls national tour. She also played Betty Boop in the pre-Broadway tryout for BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical in Chicago.
Andrew Barth Feldman
2018 Jimmy winner made his Broadway debut in 2019 in Dear Evan Hansen. He's also starred in the films A Tourist's Guide to Love and No Hard Feelings.
Reneé Rapp
Most recently seen on screen as Regina George in the movie musical adaptation of Mean Girls, 2018 winner Reneé Rapp also starred in Mean Girls on Broadway. She released her debut album Snow Angel in 2023.
Casey Likes
Currently starring as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, 2019 finalist Casey Likes made his Broadway debut in 2022 as William Miller in Almost Famous.
Justin Cooley
2021 finalist Justin Cooley made his Broadway debut in Kimberly Akimbo. Cooley became a Tony nominee in 2023 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for that show.
Anna Zavelson
2022 finalist Anna Zavelson most recently appeared on stage alongside Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles as Clara in the New York City Center Encores! staging of The Light in the Piazza.
Presented by the Broadway League Foundation and named in honor of the late producer and theatre owner James M. Nederlander, the Jimmy Awards see nominees partaking in a week of events, workshops, and master classes with industry professionals. The week culminates in the ceremony itself, a performance held on a Broadway stage at which the nominees compete for the top titles.
This year's ceremony is being directed by Van Kaplan and will feature music supervision by Geoffrey Ko, choreography by Kiesha Lalama, and group direction and choreography by Luis Salgado.
