The seventh annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards took place on June 29, 2015, at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway, hosted by Michael Cerveris (Fun Home).
The competition features fifty-two high school students from across the United States vying for the Jimmy™ Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress. The talent showcase features ensemble and solo performances and also includes a week-long theatre intensive in New York City to prepare for the big day, which for most teenagers is the chance of a lifetime.
This year, 17 year-old New Yorker Marla Louissaint took home the Best Performance by an Actress Award for her role as Caroline Thibodeaux in The Beacon School’s Caroline, or Change. Louissaint previously won the New York regional Gershwin Award for Best Actress, which qualified her for the Jimmy Awards.
Getting the honor not only comes with bragging rights, but also a slew of opportunities for the winners to hone their craft.
The Nederlander Organization presented both winners with a check for $10,000 to further their education. They are also eligible for a four-year merit and need-based scholarship to attend the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts New Studio on Broadway, contingent upon acceptance into the program. Additionally, Wyndham Rewards will be giving both winners an opportunity to be a part of one of its upcoming national advertising shoots.
Whats up next for Louissaint? She told American Theatre, “I am going to Fordham University for engineering. I have an agent, so I have both outlets—I didn’t want to drop one to do the other.”
More information about the awards can be found here, and check out Louissaint’s performance below!
Congrats, Marla Louissaint; you are Broadway Black!
