“Performing on a Broadway stage was one of the most exciting moments of my life.”
– Joey Cooper, Best Actor winner, 2019
The Smith Center’s Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards (NVHSMTA) celebrates and encourages talent and achievement in musical theater in high schools throughout Nevada. The program highlights and recognizes students participating in a variety of roles on and off the stage. NVHSMTA is a regional program of the national Jimmy Awards® in New York City, formerly the National High School Musical Theatre Awards. The Jimmy Awards®, presented by The Broadway League, is a national celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance and elevating the importance of theater arts education in schools.
The NVHSMTA fosters the next generation of musical theater performers, set, costume and lighting designers, stage managers, directors, and theater technical crews. From this regional awards event, The Smith Center sends the two students selected as Best Actor and Best Actress to compete in New York City. Participants experience a several-day theatrical boot camp consisting of private coaching, master classes and rehearsals with leading theater professionals. Their journey concludes with performing at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway, with a panel of industry experts selecting exceptional students for The Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Actor. Students receive opportunities for merit scholarships, professional advancement, and other prizes.
Please contact the Education and Outreach Department with questions regarding participation in the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards.
Marie Munoz
Outstanding Lead Actress - Bishop Gorman High School
Chris Hayes
Outstanding Lead Actor - Las Vegas Academy of the Arts
Kamille Johnson
Spotlight Award - Las Vegas Academy of the Arts
Luke Martin
Spotlight Award - Bishop Gorman High School
“This opportunity changed students’ lives! Celebrating the achievements of the various parts that make a production great is imperative to reinforce the value of every player on the team.”
Elena Ferrante-Martin
Bishop Gorman theater teacher
Recapping the 2026 Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts announced winners in 23 award categories at its 2026 Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards on May 3, 2026, honoring performers and talents from high school theater programs across Southern Nevada.
Chris Hayes Wins Big on Broadway at The Jimmy Awards
NVHSMTA’s 2025 Outstanding Lead Actor and recent Las Vegas Academy of the Arts graduate Chris Hayes won his spot at the Jimmy Awards® — thanks to a charismatic performance as Gaston from Beauty and the Beast singing “Me” in The Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall on May 4.
Local Arts Educator Honored With Prestigious National Award
Twenty five years ago, New York-based actress Elena Ferrante-Martin took a role in Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus on the Las Vegas Strip. She couldn’t have known then how much this town would change her life – or how much she would impact its theater community.