On June 4, 400 musical theater students from 30 high schools and nine counties accepted awards at the 8th annual 2022 Applause Awards hosted at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The Applause Awards recognize the talents of high school students involved in musical theater from set and costume designers to lead actresses and actors. The program also advocates for the importance of the arts by supporting access for students and schools in the community.
Modeled after the Tony Awards, the 2022 Applause Awards was directed by Broadway veteran Ray Roderick and hosted by award-winning Broadway and television actress/singer Rachel York. The event happened following a state-wide search by a group of 30 casting agents. The casting agents reviewed registered productions that entered the competition throughout the months-long decision-making process, with more than 4,000 students.
At the end of the showcase, two students, Samantha Nelson from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and Jackson Chase from Lake Nona High School (Class of 2023), were named this year’s Female Lead Performer and Male Lead Performer, respectively. Runners-up were Sirena Mia De La Rosa, also from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, and Ethan Garrepy from Winter Park High School.
Nelson and Chase will participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the Jimmy Awards) in New York City on June 27. The Jimmy Awards are a national celebration of exceptional student achievement, appreciating and recognizing individual artistry in dance, acting and vocal performance. Nelson and Chase will compete against 92 of the top musical theater students across the U.S. and be dubbed as the upcoming generation of Broadway stars. They will receive professional training opportunities, prizes and a chance to win the awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress in the country at the end of the weeklong competition.
Besides recognizing local musical theater talent and selecting the two winners for the Jimmy Awards, the Dr. Phillips Center also awarded over $25,000 in scholarships to 16 college-bound seniors.
In addition to Jackson Chase, other Lake Nona students and faculty won awards in categories such as Outstanding Lead, Outstanding Singer, Outstanding Dancer and Outstanding Set Designer, among others.
The 2022 Applause Awards are supported by AdventHealth, Chick-fil-A Greater Orlando, State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, Isermann Family Foundation, and Walmart Store #3817. The full list of winners is available here.
Photos Courtesy of Dr. Phillips Center
