PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES 2024-2025
The Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards program is a celebration of outstanding student achievement in high school musical theater from schools throughout the state of Nevada. A program of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards (NVHSMTA) is a regional awards program of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) known as the Jimmy Awards®.
The Smith Center invites public, private, and charter high schools throughout Nevada to participate in the 2024 NVHSMTA program. Schools whose information is received by The Smith Center Education Department prior to posted deadlines will be guaranteed participation, as long as their respective eligible musical productions occur within the program’s judging period of October 1, 2024 - April 12, 2025.
To be eligible, participating schools must give a live performance of a musical from the Jimmy Awards Qualifying Shows and Roles list.
All public, private, and charter schools throughout the state of Nevada who wish to participate in the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards must submit their information via the Intent to Participate Form The deadline to submit is Friday, November 15, 2024
Schools performing eligible shows for adjudication in October or November 2024 must submit their Intent to Participate at least three weeks prior to their show dates.
KEY DATES
Performance Eligibility Dates
October 1, 2024 - April 12, 2025
Intent to Participate Submission Deadline November 15, 2024
Student Stage Manager, Lighting Technician, and Audio Technician Materials Due March 21, 2025
Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress Information and Materials Due April 12, 2025
NVHSMTA Event
May 3 and 4, 2025 at The Smith Center
Jimmy Awards® Training Intensive June 2025
AWARDS CATEGORIES
Awards will be given in the following categories.
Outstanding Supporting Performer
Schools may nominate up to two students
Outstanding Student Orchestra Schools will indicate if they are eligible
Outstanding Costume Design and Creation Schools will indicate if they are eligible
Outstanding Set Design and Construction Schools will indicate if they are eligible
Outstanding Choreography Execution
Outstanding Audio Execution
Outstanding Ensemble
All participating schools are eligible
All participating schools are eligible
All participating schools are eligible
Outstanding Student Lighting Technician* Schools may nominate one student
Outstanding Student Audio Technician* Schools may nominate one student
Outstanding Student Stage Manager* Schools may nominate one student
Outstanding Direction Schools will indicate if they are eligible
Outstanding Musical Awarded based on cumulative scores in all above eligible categories
Outstanding Lead Actor
Outstanding Lead Actress
Spotlight Award
Top scoring performer based on live adjudication during NVHSMTA event
Top scoring performer based on live adjudication during NVHSMTA event
Two runners up based on live adjudication during NVHSMTA event
*This award requires submission of additional materials as well as an interview process for selected finalists.
NEVADA HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATER AWARDS LIVE PERFORMANCE
ADJUDICATION PROCESS
The Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards program uses an adjudication process to recognize numerous talented high school students and teachers. The Smith Center’s adjudication process is adapted from similar models used by other regional high school musical theater awards sites. Participating high schools are eligible for recognition in numerous categories.
ADJUDICATION PROCEDURES
The Smith Center will appoint panels of three adjudicators consisting of qualified performing arts professionals and supporters to serve as NVHSMTA judges for each eligible musical. Using a rubric and guidelines adopted by The Smith Center NVHSMTA program, judges will consider the participating school's unique resources and challenges. Awards criteria emphasize student achievement, not size or elaborateness of production. Please review step by step details for the adjudication process below.
• School will be responsible for submitting the Participating School Adjudication Form to identify the award categories they are eligible for and the names of the individuals to be adjudicated. The form must be completed and submitted two weeks prior to the opening night of the musical production.
• The Smith Center will confirm the date(s) on which the adjudicators will attend your performance. Every effort is made for adjudicators to attend the same performance date and time. On rare occasions, this may not be possible.
• On the respective judging dates, two (2) complimentary reserved tickets per judge, for a total of six (6) tickets, must be held at the school’s box office under “NVHSMTA Judges.” Please make sure these seats are in an appropriate location with clear sightlines to the stage. Judges’ seating arrangements should be discreet and should be seated in different areas of the theater.
• Each adjudicator will score the school production and students according to eligibility in the identified categories using specified rubrics and guidelines provided by the NVHSMTA program. The total number of points awarded by the three-judge panel in each category for a specific production will be tabulated. Once the judging panels have completed their reviews of the musical productions of all participating schools, the scores will be placed in rank order.
• Following an adjudicated performance, each attending judge will individually complete a secure NVHSMTA evaluation form. Each judge will score the award categories that are eligible to be adjudicated and provide comments. Judges may provide feedback for all categories even those for which a school is not eligible to compete.
• The highest score will determine the winner in each category, except Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress. Please review the requirements for Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress Nominees on page 6-8.
• NVHSMTA will send the compiled performance comments to each schools NVHSMTA Google Drive folder within 4 weeks after their performance. Schools will not receive numerical scores.
• The evaluation forms will remain the property of NVHSMTA.
Judges are requested to adjudicate at least three schools and will not be assigned to a school for which there may be a conflict of interest.
CATEGORY RULES
In keeping with the NVHSMTA mission of recognizing, rewarding and encouraging achievement in musical theater among high school students, awards will highlight student effort, skill, and talent displayed at home venues, not the efforts and abilities of assisting professionals and others. Therefore, the use of individuals other than students and faculty will disqualify a participating school from competing in some award categories. However, the use of non-students/faculty in non-performance aspects of a home venue production will not disqualify participating schools in categories such as Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Ensemble. (Faculty is defined as any full-time or part-time staff member at the participating school who is paid on an annual basis. An individual who is hired or volunteers to work on select productions throughout the year, or who is paid directly by the school or in another manner, does not qualify as faculty.)
1. Direction – To be eligible for the Outstanding Direction the musical must have been directed by a school faculty member or an attending high school student.
2. Student Orchestra – Eighty percent (80%) of the live orchestra must be comprised of students to be eligible for the Outstanding Student Orchestra award.
3. Set Design and Construction – Students MUST be involved in at least 50% of the design and construction labor to be considered eligible in this category. Schools using a set designer other than a faculty member and/or student are ineligible to receive the Outstanding Set Design and Construction award. Schools that rent, purchase as final product, or borrow more than 30% of their scenery or props are ineligible to receive the Outstanding Set Design and Construction award.
4. Costume Design and Creation – Students MUST be involved in at least 50% of the costumemaking labor to be considered eligible in this category. Schools using a costume designer other than a faculty member and/or student are ineligible to receive the Outstanding Costume Design and Creation award. Schools that rent, purchase as final product or borrow more than 30% of their costumes are ineligible to receive the Outstanding Costume Design and Creation award.
5. Lighting Design and Execution – Students MUST be involved in at least 50% of the design and execution of the lighting to be considered eligible in this category. Schools using a lighting designer other than a faculty member and/or student are ineligible to receive Outstanding Lighting Design and Execution award.
6. Student Lighting Technician – Schools may nominate one student who designed and/or executed lighting during the qualifying production. The nominated student must submit additional materials demonstrating their skills and experience.
7. Student Audio Technician – Schools may nominate one student who designed and/or executed audio during the qualifying production. The nominated student must submit additional materials demonstrating their skills and experience.
8. Student Stage Manager – Schools may nominate one student who fulfilled the role of stage manager during the qualifying production. The nominated student must submit additional materials demonstrating their skills and experience.
9. Choreography Execution – An individual who is hired or volunteers to work as the choreographer or a choreography package purchased through the licensing house are permitted in this category. The focus of the adjudicators’ evaluation is on the ensemble’s execution of choreography.
10. Outstanding Audio Execution - Students MUST be involved in at least 50% of the planning and execution of audio to be considered eligible in this category. Schools using an audio technician other than a faculty member and/or student are ineligible to receive Outstanding Audio Execution award.
11. Individual Performance Awards – Only registered high school students from the respective participating NVHSMTA Awards schools are eligible to receive the following awards: Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Supporting Performer, Outstanding Student Stage Manager, Outstanding Student Lighting Technician, Outstanding Student Audio Technician.
12. Use of students from another school – Schools that use a student(s) from a school other than their own will be ineligible for the NVHSMTA Awards. The exception is the case in which a musical calls for the casting of one to three very young children in minor roles that could not reasonably be performed by a high school student(s). If a school is a K-12 or 6-12 school, no more than 30% of the cast may be made up of students in grades other than 9-12. As stated above, only high school students will be eligible to receive individual performance awards. This percentage requirement is in regard to the performance cast(s).
13. Use of homeschool students – The use of homeschool students will not disqualify a school as long as the following guidelines are met:
a. Homeschool students must be in grades 9-12 and registered in at least one academic (graded) class. An enrichment or afterschool program does not qualify as an academic class.
b. The student(s) must not be enrolled in another high school or participate in another high school production.
c. No more than 20% of the cast and crew may be made up of homeschool students.
NVHSMTA OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR AND OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS NOMINATIONS
All nominees for the 2025 NVHSMTA Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress will be invited to participate in the two-day NVHSMTA event at The Smith Center on May 3 and 4, 2025. On Saturday, May 3, lead nominees will participate in a mandatory rehearsal day comprised of learning ensemble vocals and choreography as well as performing a live audition for a panel of judges. Scores from the live audition on Saturday will be combined with students’ in-school performance scores to determine 10 finalists.
Finalists will perform their solos for final adjudication during the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards event on May 4, 2025. This will result in one student selected in each of the Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress categories to represent Nevada in the Jimmy® Awards/National High School Musical Theater Awards consisting of more than 40 regional programs across the country. Students who are not selected to perform solos as finalists are integral members of ensemble numbers performed during the event on May 4 All lead nominees are required to attend and fully participate in all NVHSMTA events on May 3 and May 4
The two winners of the NVHSMTA will participate in a rigorous week-long training tentatively scheduled for the third week of June 2025 in New York City. This intensive program will include individual coaching by Broadway professionals and group rehearsals for the Jimmy Awards® show. The Jimmy Awards® showcase will be held at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. A panel of esteemed judges will select two students for the coveted awards of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. A variety of additional awards will be announced throughout the program. Exact dates will be updated as they are available.
For the purposes of the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards and the Jimmy Awards®/NHSMTA program, students are adjudicated in the category corresponding to their gender identification, not the gender of the role that they played. Students identifying as non-binary or gender-fluid may choose to either select the category in which they wish to be adjudicated (regardless of the gender of the role) OR they may be adjudicated based on the gender of the role they played.
All nominees for NVHSMTA Outstanding Lead Actress and Actor from participating high schools must declare their availability to travel to NYC the for the full experience should they be selected. All expenses will be paid. As conditions continue to change over the coming months, COVID-19 precautions may be implemented or adjusted for the program based on guidance from the CDC and public health officials.
Who can be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress?
Nominees must be students in grades 9-12 currently enrolled in the participating school. Nominees must be conflict free and available for all days during the Jimmy Awards® week tentatively scheduled for the third week of June 2025
• Participating schools may nominate one Outstanding Lead Actor and one Outstanding Lead Actress who were cast in qualifying lead roles.
• Initial nomination information will be submitted via the Participating School Adjudication Form, which is provided for all participating schools once their participation is confirmed.
Complete nominee information and materials must be submitted by the nominees via the NVHSMTA Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress Nominee Submission and Information Form. All forms must be submitted with complete information by Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Outstanding Lead Nominee Requirements
All nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress must submit the following Materials. Please read below for further information on each requirement.
• Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress Nominee Submission and Information Form
• Solo Song Selection Information and Audio Track
o A two-minute audition cut may be required for auditions on May 3. This will be confirmed as we evaluate our participation numbers.
• Nominee Resume: One (1) page detailing relevant education and theater experience
• Nominee Essay: One (1) page, double-spaced essay describing Nominee’s experience participating in theater or a performance this year
• Nominee Bio: No more than 200 words, written in complete sentences in third person format. Include relevant theater highlights, hobbies, academic or artistic areas of interest, etc.
• One current headshot in color
• Additional materials may be requested at a later date
Solo Song Selection for NVHSMTA Event
All nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress must select a solo song from their nominated role to perform during the NVHSMTA event the weekend of May 3 and 4. Nominees will audition with their selected song on May 3 and those nominees who are selected as finalists will perform the same song on May 4 during the NVHSMTA event.
Nominees will utilize an instrumental audio track for their audition and potential performance. Audio files must be submitted via the NVHSMTA Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress Nominee Submission and Information Form within two weeks of their show closing and no later than April 12, 2025
• Files may be in .WAV, .AIFF, .MP3, or .MP4 format
• The track must be submitted in the key in which it is to be performed by the nominee
• Tracks may be recorded by the nominee (recording your school accompaniment, solo piano accompaniment, etc.) or can be purchased online through various online databases. Music releases or performance rights do not need to be purchased.
• Accompaniment should be at least 1 minute 30 seconds in length and may not be longer than 3 minutes 30 seconds
• The track cannot include any background vocals
• Tracks should feature live instruments or closely simulated live instruments
STUDENT TECHNICIAN NOMINEE REQUIREMENTS
Materials for all student technician nominees are due by Friday, March 21 and should be submitted via the NVHSMTA Student Technician Nominee Form.
All materials must be condensed into one Google Slides or PowerPoint file. Please review an example here: Student Technician Portfolio Template
Selected nominees will be interviewed before the finalist is chosen. Finalist(s) will have the opportunity to work with The Smith Center’s theater operations team during the NVHSMTA event on May 4, 2025
Student Lighting Technician Nominees
Schools may nominate one student who had designed and/or executed lighting during the qualifying production. The nominated student must submit additional materials demonstrating their skills and experience. Nominated students must upload all materials to the NVHSMTA Student Technician Nominee Form by Friday, March 21
Student Lighting Technician Nominees must submit:
• Nominee’s resume including relevant theater/technical theater experience
• Lighting cue sheet and/or sample selection from prompt book from a major musical number of the nominated show.
• Light Plot if available
• 2-3 photos of lighting work for qualifying show
• One-page personal statement about their experience working as a lighting technician on a show
Student Audio Technician Nominees
Schools may nominate one student who designed and/or executed audio during the qualifying production. The nominated student must submit additional materials demonstrating their skills and experience. Nominated students must upload all materials to the NVHSMTA Student Technician Nominee Form by Friday, March 21.
Student Audio Technician Nominees must submit:
• Nominee’s resume including relevant theater/technical theater experience
• Excerpts from book/script with detailed notes including sound effects list/mic tracking information
• One-page personal statement about their experience working as an audio technician on a showStudent Stage Manager Nominees
Schools may nominate one student who fulfilled the role of stage manager during the qualifying production. The nominated student must submit additional materials demonstrating their skills and experience. Nominated students must upload all materials to the NVHSMTA Student Technician Nominee Form by Friday, March 21
Student Stage Manager Nominees must submit:
• Nominee’s resume including relevant theater/technical theater experience
• Excerpts from book/script with detailed notes
• One-page personal statement about their experience stage managing a production
