THE JERRY HERMAN AWARDS is a local celebration dedicated to recognizing, encouraging, and rewarding achievements and excellence in high school musical theatre. It is the local award ceremony for THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS, also known as The Jimmy’s, which take place annually at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway in New York City. Every year two students are sent to New York to represent Los Angeles at The Jimmy’s to participate in a week-long workshop and compete for the coveted Jimmy Award, named after the late James M. Nederlander.


 

2025 JERRY HERMAN AWARD WINNERS

BEST ACTRESS

  • Riley Eichberg - Calabasas High School

BEST ACTOR

  • Jackson Wright - St. Francis High School 


BEST SCENIC DESIGN

  • Charter Oak High School - Anything Goes 

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

  • St. Francis High School - Les Misérables

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  • Redondo Union High School - Matilda 

BEST ORCHESTRA

  • Beverly Hills High School - Mary Poppins 

BEST TECHNICAL CREW

  • Chadwick School - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee 

BEST ENSEMBLE OR CHORUS

  • Royal High School - Something Rotten! 

BEST MUSICAL STAGING OR CHOREOGRAPHY

  • Agoura High School - 42nd Street 

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

  • Notre Dame High School - Into the Woods 

BEST PRODUCTION

  • Palisades Charter High School - The Addams Family 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • John Burroughs HS | Big Fish | Evan Baker as Will Bloom 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Louisville HS | 1776 | Elyse Ramirez as Benjamin Franklin 

“NO SMALL PARTS” AWARD

  • The Buckley School | Something Rotten! | Asher Prady as Shylock

Competing in the JERRY HERMAN AWARDS

Each year, Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ hosts the Jerry Herman High School Musical Theatre Awards with one goal: to constructively support local high school performing arts programs. Both public and private high schools from all over Los Angeles County submit productions for consideration across twelve performance and technical categories:

  • Scenic Design
  • Lighting Design
  • Costume Design
  • Orchestra
  • Ensemble/Chorus
  • Musical Staging/Choreography
  • Musical Direction
  • Technical Crew
  • Supporting Actor
  • Supporting Actress
  • "No Small Parts"
  • Best Production

The Hollywood Pantages sends volunteer adjudicators to all of the performances. In the spring, a team at the Pantages, determine the nominees using the adjudicators’ notes and a digital recording of the production. 

To compete for the best actor and best actress categories, each participating school sends one male and one female lead to audition in front of a panel of industry judges. For two days leading up the award show, the best actor and actress nominees are narrowed down to three male and three female finalists. The six finalists perform a solo number on the night of the awards, with a trip to New York to participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmys) awarded to the final male and female contestants.

2026 Application Information for Schools

Participation Applications for the 2026 Jerry Herman Awards will be released in LATE JULY OR EARLY AUGUST. Please check back in then if you are interested. If you sign-up, a member of our team will contact you with more information. 

2026 Adjudicator Application

Adjudicator Applications will open up in JULY. Please check back in then if you are interested. If you sign-up, a member of our team will contact you with more information. 

NHSMTA | Qualifying Best Actor/Actress Roles 2025

CLICK HERE to view the qualifying roles for Best Actor and Best Actress nominations.

NHSMTA | The Jimmy Awards

CLICK HERE for information about the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (AKA: "The Jimmy Awards")

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Valentine has been a staple in Los Angeles radio for over 25 years. Valentine hosts the incredibly popular show "Valentine in the Morning." Valentine is married 27 years to his beautiful wife Leilani, and they have one amazing teenage son Colin.

Valentine is a regular reader to patients at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, and helps build houses in Tijuana, Mexico. Valentine in the Morning is IN the community, raising funds for charities: The American Red Cross, The M.S. Society, The Girls Scouts of America, Alzheimer's Association and Homes for Our Troops. Ever a supporter of our military, Valentine has also hosted 10 overseas USO shows.

Ask Valentine to recite his favorite Shakespear monologue and you'll be in for a ride.

Co-Host of "Valentine in the Morning," Jill grew up in the San Fernando Valley and loves keeping you company as you start your day with 104.3 MYfm.

Jill has been featured on the KTLA 5 Morning News, "The Morning Wrap," on KCAL and she is an ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Her positive & upbeat perspectives are a refreshing treat for Valentine in the Morning's loyal listeners across the country. Jill is the oldest of 3 girls and is a loving aunt to her 2 nieces and nephew.

Jill is a HUGE fan of Broadway and musical theatre. Her very first Broadway show was here at the Hollywood Pantages - when she saw Disney's THE LION KING with her family. Jill is incredibly honored to be a part of THE JERRY HERMAN AWARDS celebratory evening. You can follow her on Instagram: .

MEET OUR JUDGES

Nicole Parker is an accomplished actress with a dynamic career spanning Television, Film, and the Broadway stage. As an actor; her Broadway credits include: “Wicked” (Elphaba), “Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me” (Original Broadway Cast), and most recently the Off-Broadway sensation “Titanique” (Céline Dion). She also starred in the critically acclaimed production of “Reefer Madness: The Musical” (Mae) right here in Hollywood. Television audiences know Nicole from her celebrated run on the iconic sketch comedy series MADtv, where her impressions and original characters made her a standout. She has also appeared on shows such as “Hot in Cleveland”, and “Key & Peele.”  Her film credits include “Funny People” (directed by Judd Apatow), and “Meet the Spartans”, where her comedic timing was on full display. She has also lent her voice to numerous animated projects and audiobooks. A skilled comedian and vocalist, Nicole has performed with the acclaimed improv group The Groundlings, and regularly appears in comedy shows and live musical parodies across the country. She also co-hosts a podcast with Paul F. Tompkins called "." She is a frequent collaborator with Broadway and comedy talents alike. Graduate of Indiana University. on Instagram

Eric Petersen has worked extensively in Television and the Broadway stage. As an Actor; his Broadway credits include: “School of Rock” (Dewey Finn), “Shrek: The Musical” (Shrek on the 1st National Tour and Shrek Standby on Broadway), “Escape To Margaritaville” (Brick, OBC), and “Peter & The Starcatcher” (Ted).  His television  credits include: Kevin on “Kevin Can F*** Himself” on AMC,  Ant’ney on the hit children’s show “Madagascar: A Little Wild” on Hulu (EMMY Nominated for his role), and “Kirstie” (TVLand) where he played the Series Regular role of Arlo Barth alongside Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman, and Michael Richards. Eric was also recently seen in “High Desert” for AppleTV+, and “The Curse” on Showtime. Eric has made guest star appearances on “Big Bang Theory”, “Modern Family”, “NCIS”, “CSI”, “GCB”, “The Brittany Murphy Story”.  Eric has many Disney channel credits including the shows “Jessie”, “Sydney To The Max”, “Kirby Buckets” and “Pair of Kings”. Eric appeared in the Oscar-nominated Coen Brothers’ film “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” for Netflix. As a Director, his work includes the shows “Play That Goes Wrong”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, and “Escape To Margaritaville”. Graduate of Bradley University. on Instagram.

Connie Jackson is a singer/actress, born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Her credits range from “DREAMGIRLS” on Broadway to touring the world with pop music icon Phil Collins, to primetime television as Elaine on NCIS. Connie can also be seen as Aunt Ellis in Ethan Coen’s DRIVE AWAY DOLLS, Rene Lewis in CAMERA, and Beth in the upcoming feature THE SHERIFF. An avid animal activist, Connie volunteers her spare time photographing shelter animals and encourages you to adopt, don't shop. www.conniejackson.com. Instagram: .

Janelle Dote Portman is an LA based actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and coach.  She is a California native and a UCLA graduate with a BA in Theatre Arts.  Storytelling, in all forms, is her vessel to connect human to human + heart to art. Broadway: Allegiance (Executor, Mrs. Maruyama, Asst. Dance Captain-Longacre), Selected regional credits include: American Idiot (Associate Choreographer - CTG, Deaf West), Allegiance (Executor, Mrs. Maruyama, Assistant Choreographer-EWP),  Paint Your Wagon (Kwai-Fa-Geffen), Takarazuka! (Onstage Yuko-EWP), Flower Drum Song (Linda Low-Woodminster), Avenue Q (Christmas Eve-DOMA), Mulan (Matchmaker-Tuacahn), Peter Pan (Tiger Lily-Cabrillo), The King & I (Eliza-Cabrillo), Seussical! (Bird Girl- CLOSBC), Damn Yankees (Reprise!) and six worldwide productions of Miss Saigon. Selected film/TV: Memoirs of a Geisha, The Young & the Restless, Everybody Hates Chris, The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll. Selected choreography/dance: Berlin, 3OH!3, Blink 182, MTV Asia, Nike Asia.

Jeff Loeb is President of Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, overseeing the Hollywood Pantages Theatre and the Nederlander West Coast Regional Season Ticket Office that manages the season ticket operations for 7 Nederlander Broadway touring markets. Jeff has been the chief strategist for Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ’s dedication to patron loyalty which catapulted their growth to 45,000 season ticket holders as well as record grosses for extended engagements of Wicked, The Book of Mormon, and Hamilton.  Over the last 22 years, he has been privileged to work with over 200 Broadway touring productions.  A volunteer both in the entertainment industry and in the Hollywood community at large, Jeff is currently an Executive Board member of the Broadway League, where he is a Tony® Voter, Board Treasurer for the Hollywood Walk of Fame Trust, and Board member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.  Jeff is President Emeritus of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Vice President Emeritus for the Hollywood Police Activities League, and past Gala Chair for the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society and Museum.

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