The Orpheum Theater lights shined bright and drum rolls filled the auditorium as 14 finalists anxiously awaited the 2023 Nebraska High School Musical Theater Academy results earlier this month.
When Steven Dao from Lincoln Southwest High School heard his name called for best actor, emotion and shock quickly overcame him.
“I just was in disbelief,†Dao said. “It was like everything that I’ve worked for the past four years finally paid off in that moment.â€
Seconds later, Dao heard another familiar name called as his friend Jocelyn Tisdale from Lincoln High School was awarded best actress. He broke into tears knowing that they had both achieved their goals.
“It was just such a surreal moment,†Dao said. “My favorite moment is when we both ran offstage and she jumped into my arms.â€
The close friends will perform one last time as high school students at the Jimmy Awards on June 26 at 6 p.m. As part of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Jimmy Awards is the final showcase highlighting outstanding student achievement in vocal, dance and acting performance. The showcase will be hosted by Actor Corbin Bleu at the Minskoff Theatre along Times Square in New York City.
Lincoln Southwest High School will have a live streaming of the award show in their Silver Hawk Theatre, 7001 S. 14th St.
In order to attend the national competition, students must win their regional competition. The Nebraska regional showcase was on June 4 and had nearly 100 applicants. Of the candidates, only 14 are chosen to perform at the regional showcase.
“We’re looking for students who really are a triple-threat,†said Joan Squires, president for Omaha Performing Arts. “We want students who will represent Nebraska at the highest level and we’ve had some incredible representatives over the years.â€
The 14 finalists performed at the showcase, which Squires compared to a sporting event.
“They’re cheering each other on and they are with students like themselves,†Squires said. “There’s no other chance to bring these schools together to celebrate musical theater and the people who participate.â€
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Dao is the third student from Southwest to win the regional competition and will be the second student to travel to New York. He has been performing since freshman year with notable roles as Harry Bright in “Mamma Mia,†Lola in “Kinky Boots,†and Beast in “Beauty and the Beast.†He performed “Out There†from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame†at the regional showcase for his medley.
Tisdale is the first student from Lincoln High School to win the regional competition. She said her high school hasn’t had much involvement with state theater in the past.
“The fact that I can do this is really great because it means that you don’t have to go to a super heavily involved theater school in order to be able to get where other people are,†Tisdale said.
She has been performing with the Lincoln Community Playhouse and her high school for the past four years. Tisdale’s notable roles have been Anna in “Frozen,†Luisa in “The Fantasticks,†Cinderella in “Cinderella,†and Sophie in “Mamma Mia.†She performed “All Falls Down†from “Joplin: The Musical†in Omaha.
Tisdale said winning with Dao was the best possible option as the two have become good friends in their final years of high school.
“It was so shocking to both of us that we won because we were competing against such amazing talent in Nebraska,†Tisdale said. “It was definitely neck and neck, so the fact that we pulled through was really crazy.â€
After winning the regional competition, Dao and Tisdale have spent the past few weeks commuting to Omaha to work on acting, monologues and preparing their video submissions for the national competition in New York.
The National High School Musical Theatre Awards is a weeklong experience for the 96 regional competition winners representing around 1,800 schools. The students will undergo private coaching, master classes and rehearse with theater professionals to get an in-depth look and opportunity to work with the best of Broadway.
“The best part is to stand back and watch the students really shine and to be able to provide an opportunity that they wouldn’t have had without Omaha Performing Arts and NHSMTA,†Squires said. “It really helps lift and elevate these talented students and bring them together.â€
At the end of the week, the students will perform in front of a panel of industry experts who will select students for The Jimmy, which will be awarded to an actress and an actor for exceptional performance.
In addition, the students will have the opportunity to attend Broadway shows and audition in front of Broadway casting directors.
“It gives them an opportunity to have that access, which is very difficult,†Squires said. “It’s a very competitive industry.â€