Local high school students Eden Burleson and John Frix have been named among those nominated in the 16th annual Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards (HSMTA). The awards will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 22 at the Orpheum Theatre. Students and supporters from 52 participating schools across the Mid-South (representing 4 states) will gather at the Orpheum to celebrate an exciting season of high school musical theatre. The evening will include a red carpet and participation by high school students on stage, backstage, and in the orchestra pit. This year’s ceremony will pay tribute to all things Oz and is sponsored in part by Coca-Cola Consolidated, Ticketmaster, Dean Film & Video, Production One, Sedgwick, Memphis Dental Corporation, Ultimate Ballroom Dance Studio and SouthWorth Capital Management.
Chester County High School’s John Frix received a nomination for Outstanding Student Technical Achievement in “The Addams Family” and Eden Burleson is a nominee for Outstanding Featured Actress as Alice Beineke, also in “The Addams Family.”
“The Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards are ready to ‘defy gravity’ this year with representatives from 51 schools across Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and new this year- Missouri, as they take the stage in this epic one night only celebration of all things high school musical theatre,” said Lena Wallace Black, Education and Engagement Manager at the Orpheum Theatre Group. “We can’t wait to ‘ease on down’ the yellow brick road for another great year underscored by our partners with the Memphis Youth Symphony Program and assisted technically by our student partners from Theatre Memphis’ Tech Academy.”
The Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards is an official partner of The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the Jimmy Awards) which includes 55 programs from across the country.
Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, the program invites two nominees from each of these competitions to New York City for a week-long theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase on Broadway. The 16th annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 23 at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway – the current home of Disney’s The Lion King.
The Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards are on Thursday, May 22 at 7pm. Tickets are $20-$50 and go on sale to the public Monday, May 5. Tickets will be available at orpheum-memphis.com and the Orpheum Box Office, 901-525-3000.
The Orpheum Theatre Group congratulates all the nominees.
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About the Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards: The Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards supports, promotes, and celebrates high school musical theatre throughout the Mid-South. The program aims to provide access to arts education, create opportunities for self-expression, develop relationships between schools and the Orpheum, encourage collaboration, enhance excellence, build community, and instill a lifelong passion for the arts.
This year-long program invites students and schools to join a community of participating schools from a 150-mile radius in a variety of opportunities that meet each school where they are in providing access to arts education programming.
About The National High School Musical Theatre Awards: The Jimmy Awards/The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) program impacts approximately 150,000 students who participate in 55 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 $6,000,000 in educational scholarships since its launch in 2009. Presented by The Broadway League Foundation, Inc., the NHSMTA invites two nominees from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a rigorous theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training, and rehearsals led by some of Broadway’s most accomplished professionals. Nominees will spend ten days in New York City from Friday, June 13, 2025, through Tuesday, June 24, 2025, and their experience will culminate in an extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. The sixteenth annual Jimmy Awards will take place on Monday, June 23, 2025, at the Minskoff Theatre. For more information, please visit www.JimmyAwards.com.
About the Orpheum Theatre Group: The mission of the Orpheum Theatre Group is to enhance the communities we serve by utilizing the performing arts to entertain, educate, and enlighten while preserving the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education. For more information, visit orpheum-memphis.com.
Orpheum Education Declaration of Action: We commit to engaging and collaborating with the people of the Mid-South through the transformative power of the arts.
