7/17/2023
Discovering The Smith Center / Education and Outreach
Southern Nevada teenagers Zoe McCracken and Riley Stannard got a true taste of life as theater professionals this June.
That’s because the two theater students competed at the national Jimmy Awards in New York City, which included performing on a Broadway stage alongside the country’s top high school performers.
“It’s been a dream to perform on a Broadway stage, so it was astonishing to be on stage thinking, ‘I’m living the dream right now,’” says Stannard, 18, a recent graduate of Green Valley High School.
The two teens qualified for the Jimmy Awards – also known as the National High School Musical Theatre Awards – by earning the Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress awards at The Smith Center’s 2023 Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards.
Thanks to generous donor support for The Smith Center, a nonprofit organization, the pair enjoyed a complimentary, 11-day trip to New York City for the Jimmy Awards. This experience included working with Broadway professionals, attending Broadway musicals and even meeting Tony winner Ben Platt.
Both agree that this opportunity solidified their ambitions for the spotlight.
“This experience has definitely shaped me into a stronger performer,” says McCracken, 18, who just graduated from Coronado High School. “The things I learned throughout (those 11 days) are things I will carry for the rest of my life.”
Preparing for a Broadway Show
As the Jimmy Awards features all 96 participants in a full musical production, the several days of rehearsals in New York City threw McCracken and Stannard into the deep end.
“We had very long rehearsal days, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., but it was very exciting every day to wake up and be like, ‘here we go,’” Stannard says. “(We learned) both vocals and choreography, then we would do it over and over and over, because it was preparing a Broadway show in under a week.”
McCracken says these rehearsals helped groom her for a performance career.
“(I learned) every detail counts,” she says. “While (the choreographer) was often intimidating, I respected her so much and learned how important it is to work with each other, not against each other.”
Meeting Broadway Stars
McCracken also gleaned essential advice during her “life-changing” coaching session with Broadway star Adam Kantor, who has costarred in Broadway hits like “Rent” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”
“He had us recite our lyrics as monologues, to really understand the story of each of our songs,” McCracken says. “I'll never forget what he said on the last day of coaching: ‘it's musical theater, not theatrical music.’”
Stannard learned about casting aside ego from his coach Howard McGillin, who costars in Broadway show “Parade,” and about approaching each song as “a conversation, not a performance,” he says.
The Jimmy Awards participants also watched two Broadway shows, “Some Like it Hot” and “MJ The Musical,” which impressed Stannard so much “I had my hands on my head,” he laughs.
“Both shows reminded me why I love musical theater,” he says.
McCracken and Stannard will never forget when stage-and-screen star Ben Platt made a surprise visit during rehearsal.
“Everyone was screaming and pulling out their phones,” Stannard says. “He talked with us for a while, and it meant a lot to me, because when I was a kid I saw him in ‘Pitch Perfect’ and in concert and in ‘Dear Evan Hansen.’ It felt like coming full circle to meet him.”
Kickstarting Their Broadway Careers
When McCracken took the stage at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre, she didn’t feel nervous at all.
“I don't know if it's because The Smith Center house has more seats, but I wasn't that intimidated by it,” she says.
Stannard felt exhilarated when he stepped out for the opening number, he says, because the audience “was a wall of screaming and cheering, like nothing I’d ever experienced before.”
Both talented teens will apply this experience to their ongoing theater training.
McCracken will attend the University of Nevada, Reno and major in musical theater. Stannard will head to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in acting.
“(The Jimmy Awards) inspired me to want to be better at performing, to learn more and just do as much as I can to eventually be back on Broadway,” Stannard says.