They Act, They Belt, They Do Their Homework: These Four High Schoolers Earned Top Marks at the Jimmy Awards

Weeks after Broadway’s best shined at the Tonys, the stars of tomorrow took center stage at the Jimmy Awards. The eighth annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards took place on June 27 at the Minskoff Theatre, where 62 young performers from across the country showcased the roles the brought them top honors in their respective regions. Watch the two winners—and two additional finalists who went above and beyond—below. Remember their names, because you never know on what stage you’ll find them next: Just look at 2013 finalist Eva Noblezada, who’s gone on to headline Miss Saigon and Les Miserables in the West End and will make her Broadway debut next year!


Amina Faye
Central Academy of Technology and Arts (Charlotte, NC)
It’s not every day you see a girl step in front of Peter Pan and Doralee Rhodes to sing about losing her newborn son. On paper, the juxtaposition has plenty of camp potential, but Faye successfully sold the tonal shift. Her take on “Your Daddy’s Son” from Ragtime drifted from Audra McDonald’s classical timbre, but did not sacrifice any bit of emotion. In the finals, her “A New Life” from Jekyll and Hyde had the audience hollering long after she had left the stage and earned her the top honors of Best Performance by an Actress. Check her out above from last year’s Blumey Awards in North Carolina.


Josh Strobl
John Burroughs High School (Los Angeles, CA)
A clear audience favorite from the beginning, Strobl elicited squeals from the house during “It Takes Two” from Hairspray. His portrayal of Link was not short of hip-swaying and swoon-worthy vocals, and judges and audiences alike ate it up. After being chosen as a finalist, Strobl displayed his versatility and performed the more classical “Maria” from West Side Story. Of the eight finalists’ numbers, the song was the most mainstream, but he still managed to wow the crowd with a crescendo that culminated in belting the title name with a penetrating vibrato. It paid off, as Strobl went on to win Best Performance by an Actor.


Marnie Quick
Barack Obama Academy of International Studies (Pittsburgh, PA)
This marked Quick’s third year at the Jimmy Awards, and her second as a finalist. (Check out her performance from last year above.) This year, she was up for her turn as Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5. Quick brought plenty of spunk to her group’s medley, and in the finals, she let it all out with a particularly belty “Safer” from First Date. Although she didn’t claim the top prize this year, Quick has proven herself a worthy contender for two consecutive years and boasts a memorable voice we’re sure we’ll be hearing again soon.


Cameron Chang
Canyon Crest Academy (San Diego, CA)
Not only does Chang deserve a shoutout for the best comedic performance of the evening, but he also showcased the most diverse repertoire. During the medley, he had to take a quick pause as Adolpho from The Drowsy Chaperone as the audience could not stop laughing. Then, as a finalist, Chang took a sharp turn and offered a heartfelt rendition of the Smile ballad “Disneyland.” The tune, sung by a beauty pageant contestant in the context of the show, was a brave choice and forced audiences to hear the showtune standard in a way they never have before.