About IHSMTA

Broadway In Chicago is delighted to have high schools across the State of Illinois participate in the 15th Annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards, Sponsored by NBC 5. The Broadway In Chicago Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards (IHSMTA) celebrate excellence in high school theatre throughout the State of Illinois.

This year’s categories include Best Performer in an Actor Role, Best Performer in Actress Role, Best Production, Best Direction and Best Ensemble. Twenty-four nominees (12 in each Best Performance category) will perform on stage at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) and compete in front of Chicago casting agents and theater professionals.

From the twenty-four nominees, two Illinois award recipients will go on an all-expense paid trip to New York City to represent the State of Illinois at The Jimmy Awards® and participate in a week-long theatre intensive of coaching and rehearsals with industry professionals in preparation for a one-night-only showcase on Broadway, where a panel of judges crowns the nation’s top performers. The Jimmy Awards® are named after legendary Broadway theater owner and producer James M. Nederlander. Broadway In Chicago is a Nederlander presentation and is excited be a part of a network of theatres across the country participating in The Jimmy Awards®.

Important Dates

Final Day for Adjudication: Sunday, April 19, 2026

2024 IHSMTA Program Date: May 2026 (exact date to be announced)

The Jimmy Awards®: June 22, 2026

2026 IHSMTA Participating Schools

Addison Trail High School
Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Amundsen High School
Aurora Central Catholic High School
Barrington High School
Batavia High School
Belvidere High Schools
Benet Academy
Bloom High School
Bolingbrook High School
Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School
Bremen High School
Burlington Central High School
Byron High School
Carl Sandburg High School
Cary-Grove High School
Champaign Central High School
The Chicago Academy for the Arts
Chicago Christian High School
The Chicago High School for the Arts
Coal City High School
Crete-Monee High School
Crystal Lake Central High School
Crystal Lake South High School
Deerfield High School
Delavan High School
Dundee-Crown High School
Dunlap High School
Elmwood Park High School
Evergreen Park High School
Glenbard West High School
Glenwood High School
Grayslake Central High School
Hampshire High School
Harrisburg High School
Harry D. Jacobs High School
Harvard High School
Hinsdale South High School
Hoffman Estates High School
Homewood-Flossmoor High School
Intrinsic Schools
James B. Conant High School
Joliet West High School
Kaneland High School
Lake Forest High School
Lake Zurich High School
Lane Tech High School
Larkin High School
Lemont High School
Leyden High Schools
Libertyville High School
Lincoln-Way East High School
Lincoln-Way West High School
Loyola Academy
Maine South High School
Maine West High School
Marion High School
Minooka Community High School
Moline Senior High School
Morgan Park Academy
Mother McAuley High School
Nazareth Academy
Neoga Jr.-Sr. High School
North Shore Country Day School
Northside College Prep High School
Oak Lawn Community High School
Oak Park & River Forest High School
Oswego High School
Palatine High School
Paris High School
Plainfield Central High School
Plainfield East High School
Plainfield South High School
Plano High School
Prairie Ridge High School
Providence Catholic High School
Reed-Custer High School
Robinson High School
Romeoville High School
Rosary College Prep
Saint Ignatius College Prep
Saint Viator High School
South Elgin High School
St. Charles East High School
St. Francis High School
Stillman Valley High School
Sycamore High School
Taft High School
Thornton Fractional North High School
Timothy Christian High School
Trinity High School
University High School
Urbana High School
Vernon Hills High School
Wheaton Academy
William Fremd High School