Corbin Bleu Discusses Why He's Excited to Honor Theater Students as the Host of the 2021 Jimmy Awards

A breakout star from Disney's original High School Musical, Corbin Bleu has gone on to show off his triple-threat skills on Broadway in In the Heights, Godspell, Holiday Inn and the 2019 revival of Kiss Me, Kate. The newest episode of Broadway Profiles features an interview with the former Broadway.com vlogger, who will be hosting the 2021 Jimmy Awards on July 15. Also known as the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (a.k.a. the Tonys for high school students), the virtual show is scheduled to stream on July 15 at 7:30 PM ET. The Jimmy Awards feature dynamic ensemble and solo performances and will culminate with two students presented with a Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor awards with a total of 20 awards and scholarships available to participants.

Bleu spoke about the importance of the arts and art education for young people. "Going to an arts high school myself and having always been an advocate for arts education and for bringing arts to students—it's so important to instill that at such an early age," he said. "To be able to have an outlet, to be able to have an area to be creative in, to be able to be yourself—the arts become a safe haven for so many people. I'm so excited to be able to honor young theater students."

Check out the interview below, and head here to check your local listings for Broadway Profiles. Hosted by Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal and powered by Broadway.com, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.