7/28/2022
Education and Outreach
Dakota Renteria will never forget being named one of the eight finalists at the national Jimmy Awards® (formerly the National High School Musical Theatre Awards) at the Minskoff Theater on Broadway this June.
This marked a stunning accomplishment for the Las Vegas teen, as the event included 92 top theater students from across the U.S., all competing in singing, dancing and acting.
“It was such a shock when they called my name,” says Renteria, a recent graduate of Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. “I kept cool on the stage, but I was freaking out inside.”
While all participants performed as an ensemble on stage, only the top finalists performed solo pieces, giving Renteria the chance to deliver a powerful rendition of “Donny Novitski” from musical “Bandstand.”
“It was one of the most exhilarating performance experiences I’ve ever had,” says Renteria, who has honed his skills in community theater and school productions. “Performing in a Broadway theater, that’s not something everyone has the chance to do.”
Renteria experienced this rare opportunity after winning Outstanding Lead Actor at The Smith Center’s 10th-annual Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards (NVHSMTA). Thanks to generous Smith Center donors, he and Kalena Blake, winner of Outstanding Lead Actress, enjoyed a complimentary, 10-day trip to New York City for the Jimmy Awards®, where they trained with industry professionals before performing on Broadway.
Now planning to attend Baldwin Wallace University to study musical theater, Renteria says participating in the both the NVHSMTA and the Jimmy Awards® have helped prepare him for his future on stage.
“I’m the first in my family to do (theater) and take it seriously,” he says. “Now after the Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards and the Jimmys, there is more support than ever.”
Life-Changing Experiences
During his training in New York for the Jimmy Awards, Renteria learned invaluable lessons for performing.
To perfect the Jimmy Awards’ showstopping musical and dance routines, the competitors participated in all-day rehearsals that Renteria confesses were “so tiring,” but wholly worthwhile.
“It really gave me a taste of exactly what it means to be a professional, and working in the theater environment,” he says. “I learned not only about how to perform, but also about myself, how I need to learn to pace myself and keep myself healthy, mentally and vocally and physically.”
The trip also included the chance to see smash musical “Moulin Rouge,” winner of Best Musical and the first production Renteria has ever seen on Broadway.
“To see that spectacle of a show, it showed me to ‘step up,’” he says. “I do my shows at school, and I think they’re pretty good, but you go to Broadway and see (lead actor) Derek Klena belting his face off for two hours, and it’s a one-of-a-kind experience.”
A Future in the Spotlight
Renteria doesn’t waver in his vision for the future.
“I want to perform on Broadway, 100 percent,” he says.
He loves performing not only as an emotional outlet, he says, but also as a way to expand his understanding of the world and the people in it. Playing the lead in “Big Fish” at his school, for instance, helped him address growing up without a father and to see that he had many father figures in his life.
“I’m grateful not only for opportunities like the Jimmys, but also for the life lessons that a show can teach you,” he says. “I credit the arts to a lot of who I am today. Having an outlet to express myself really helped me understand who I was.”