Future stars shone on Broadway Monday night as the Jimmy Awards saluted some of the most promising young thespians from across the U.S.
Zayda Martin and Jayden Vega, this year’s winners of Straz Center’s Broadway Star of the Future Awards, were among the contestants.
This year’s ceremony, held at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre, featured 110 high school actors from 55 regional high school musical theater awards programs, such as Straz’s Broadway Star of the Future. Actor-singer Josh Groban was the host, with guest presenters including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Julia Knitel, Apollo Levine and Aki Nishino scheduled to appear.
Jayden Vega attends Blake High School in Tampa, where he’s a student in the Musical Theatre Magnet Program. He was awarded a $2,500 scholarship in the category of Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble.
Zayda recently graduated from Harrison School for the Arts in Lakeland and plans to study musical theater at Florida State University. Zayda finished in the Top 40 of national finalists.
The National High School Musical Theatre Awards were established in 2009 to celebrate student achievements in high school musical theater. The nickname “Jimmy” honors Broadway impresario James L. “Jimmy” Nederlander and his dedication to the support of young theatrical talent.
