Local high school theatre students perform on Broadway during the Jimmys

Collaborative School of the Arts’ High School Musical Theatre Award winners represent Capital Region

From all over the country, 110 high school students converged on New York City including Roman Mangino, from Ballston Spa High School, and Lianelys Oviedo-Roman, from Amsterdam High School for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The students spent a week in New York City — learning and exploring — and performed at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the Jimmys) Monday, June 23!

This extraordinary opportunity was made possible through the Collaborative School of the Arts at Proctors, which organized the High School Musical Theatre Awards locally and is committed to nurturing the Capital Region’s next generation of theatre artists. Both Mangino and Oviedo-Roman received the opportunity after winning Outstanding Lead Performer for their roles as Frank Abagnale Jr. in “Catch Me If You Can,” and Eurydice in “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” respectively at the Collaborative School of the Arts’ High School Musical Theatre Awards.

“The Jimmys was fun and exciting — being around so many talented and musically inclined people was really great and an experience I’ll never have again, and I really cherished every moment,” said Oviedo-Roman.

“I think focus is a virtue but telling why you choose that certain focus is an even bigger one,” Mangino added.

More than just a performance, the Jimmys offer a transformative week of professional development, creative growth, and artistic inspiration leading up to the awards ceremony.

During that time, they had workshops with Broadway professionals learning intricate choreography, explored the city, and attended “MJ” with a special post-show talkback with members from the company. Students also had an opportunity to have interviews with media outlets and received solo coaching lessons.

The Jimmy Awards, hosted by the Broadway League, are a national celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performance, and elevating the importance of theatre arts education in schools modeled after the Tonys.

Students compete for six awards: Best Performance by an Actor, Best Performance by an Actress, Outstanding Performance in Ensemble, Spirit of the Jimmys, Best Dancer and Rising Star.

Mangino and Oviedo-Roman’s trip to the Jimmys was sponsored by M/E Engineering with all program coordination and support by the Collaborative School of the Arts.