Davenport Central freshman Emily Winn recently won the coveted the Triple Threat Competition during the Iowa High School Musical Theatre Awards. She will represent the state of Iowa at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (also known as the Jimmy Awards) in New York City late this month.
Winn — who starred in April as Ariel in Central’s production of “The Little Mermaid” — will participate in workshops and rehearsals for nine days with Broadway music directors, actors, and choreographers. Her time will culminate with her singing on the stage of the Minskoff Theatre, home to “The Lion King” on Broadway, on June 27.
This marks the second time in consecutive live-award shows, that a Davenport Central student has represented Iowa at the Jimmy Awards in New York City. Peyton Reese (a 2019 Central grad) was the last Iowa “Triple Threat” representative in June 2019 — winning for Central’s production of “Heathers,” and now Winn will represent Iowa in 2022.
“I knew she was going to win that,” Central drama director Thea IntVeld said Friday of Emily. “She was so ready; she’s so above and beyond in her talent…When I was working with her, she was just so professional.”
Presented by the Iowa High School Musical Theater Association, this year about 80 schools took part in the Des Moines competition. The “Triple Threat Award” recognizes a student’s ability to sing, dance and act, and the state association sends adjudicators to see qualifying productions over the course of the school year, and worthy students are invited to compete at the state level, IntVeld said.
The awards annually recognize a top male and female student, and the Jimmys in New York bring the top students in from each state.
The National High School Musical Theatre Awards were established in 2009 by Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances, a division of The Nederlander Organization, to elevate the importance of theatre arts education in schools and reward excellence in student performance. The program impacts over 140,000 students annually who participate in high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by over 40 professional theatres throughout the U.S.
Since its inception, NHSMTA has been the catalyst for more than $4 million in educational scholarships awarded to deserving young performers, according to its website. 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.
Central student Croix Baker (who played Prince Eric in “Little Mermaid”) has earned a NHSMTA scholarship to study in New York this summer, IntVeld said.
Des Moines Performing Arts will put on the Iowa High School Musical Theater Association (IHSMTA) Showcase on Saturday, June 18, to feature several students from Davenport Central (including Winn and Baker), North and West, IntVeld said.
Throughout the year, theater professionals traveled across the state to review high school musical productions. Now, students from those schools will come together to share highlights from their shows on the Des Moines Civic Center stage and to receive honors for their work in performance, technical and creative categories.
In addition, students will work under the direction of a guest music director and choreographer from New York City to give the best performances of their young lives. The Jimmy Awards return to an in-person event for the first time in three years and will take place at the Minskoff Theatre in Manhattan. Tickets for the Jimmy Awards start at $55 and are available by visiting Ticketmaster.com.
The 2022 Jimmy Awards ceremony will include 92 participants making their debut on a Broadway stage when they perform in an unforgettable talent showcase. During this event, a panel of judges will select two students for the coveted awards of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.
You can watch the IHSMTA Showcase on June 18th at 7 p.m. on Iowapbs.org or you can tune in to IPTV using your network provider.
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