Jerry Awards Ceremony

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Martin Jenich

Supporting and Dance Performer award recipients at the 2019 Jerry Awards performance.

media release: The 2021/22 Jerry Awards program will culminate in a show honoring student and school achievements, including performances by the Outstanding Award recipients, in Overture Hall on Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. Two outstanding performers will be selected to represent the program at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (Jimmy Awards®) competition in New York City.

“We’re thrilled to announce 400-plus award recipients this year within the 85 productions around the state in 75 communities of varying sizes and theater programs with varying budgets,” commented Tim Sauers, Overture’s chief artistic experiences officer. “After a two-year pause, it was amazing to get out and see musical theater performed in high schools around the state. This year, the cast, crew and production teams navigated new challenges, and everyone rose to the occasion. We look forward to celebrating their work in Overture Hall in June.”

Participation statistics for the 2021/22 season:

• 85 productions
• 79 schools/community theater organizations
• 48 schools are represented in the 81 Outstanding Lead Performance Award recipients
• 23 counties
• 40 reviewers (three reviewers attended each production)
• 450+ students performing in annual awards shows in Overture Hall
• 8,500 people involved in the Jerry Awards through engagement with their local high school musical

Click here to view the complete list of recipients.

The Jerry Awards is a high school musical awards program that encourages, recognizes and honors excellence in high school musical theater. The program began in the 2009/10 school year with 23 productions within 45 miles of Madison and has since expanded across the state through partnerships with Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, The Grand Theater and Viterbo Fine Arts Center. Educators and industry professionals review productions at Wisconsin high schools and/or community theater organizations and provide valuable feedback to students. In its first decade, the Jerry Awards engaged more than 700,000 students, teachers, theater professionals and community members.

To be eligible for the Jerry Awards, high schools apply in the fall or spring to have their musical reviewed by the program.  Three adjudicators (industry professionals and educators) are assigned to see the show and write a critique evaluating it in various categories such as performance, design and direction.  Critiques are compiled and sent to each school with nominations. In addition to the critique and being recognized at the awards show, participating students are eligible to audition for the Jerry Ensemble, become a student critic and receive special ticket offers to performances at Overture Center, Marcus Performing Arts Center, The Grand Theater and Viterbo University Fine Arts Center.

Overture’s Jerry Awards are sponsored by Old National Bank with additional funding provided by American Girl’s Fund for Children, Katie Dowling-Marcus and Ben Marcus and contributions to Overture Center.

The Jimmy Awards®/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®) program impacts more than 140,000 students who participate in 46 regional high school musical theatre competitions sponsored by presenters of touring Broadway productions throughout the United States. Named for Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the program has been the catalyst for more than $5,000,000 in educational scholarships. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, the NHSMTA invites one Best Actress and one Best Actor nominee from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a week-long theatre intensive that includes coaching, training, and rehearsing led by some of Broadway’s most accomplished professionals. Nominees will spend one week in New York City from Monday, June 20, 2022, through Tuesday, June 28, 2022, and their combined efforts throughout the week will lead to one extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. The thirteenth annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 27, 2022, at the Minskoff Theatre. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.

MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER in Milwaukee, is a premier performing arts community gathering space offering high-quality cultural and community programming. Marcus Performing Arts Center is home to the Milwaukee Ballet, Florentine Opera and First Stage, plus a variety of other important community and family events throughout the year.  The touring Broadway series, sponsored by Johnson Financial Group, is recognized as bringing the best of Broadway entertainment to Milwaukee for the past 20 years.

THE GRAND THEATER in Wausau, Wis., has brought the best of the performing arts to North Central Wisconsin since 1927. With a mission to entertain, educate and enrich the community, The Grand works to develop a lifelong appreciation for the arts and enhance the quality of life in the region.

VITERBO FINE ARTS CENTER in La Crosse, Wis., is a regional arts center with the mission to educate, stimulate, inspire and challenge the university and local communities through the presentation of diverse and quality programming.

OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Madison, Wis., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and four galleries where national and international touring artists, nine resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences each year. With the vision to provide “Extraordinary Experiences for All,” Overture’s mission is to support and elevate our community’s creative culture, economy and quality of life through the arts. overture.org