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Award Recipients for the 2026 Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards Announced!
Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce the Award Recipients, Runners-Up, and Finalists for Best Performer in an Actor and Actress role, and the Award Recipients for Backstage Champion (Presented by Banner Kitchen and Bath Showroom) Best Ensemble, Best Direction and Best Production for the 2026 Broadway In Chicago Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards (IHSMTA)!
BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTOR ROLE
LOGAN ARROYO Lincoln-Way East High School Will Bloom, BIG FISH SCHOOL EDITION
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BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTRESS ROLE
JANE NUICH Maine South High School Eurydice, HADESTOWN: TEEN EDITION
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BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTOR ROLE RUNNER-UP
NOLAN MADDOX Oak Park and River Forest High School Roger Davis, RENT: SCHOOL EDITION
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BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTRESS ROLE RUNNER-UP
MADELINE RANIERI William Fremd High School Elle Woods, LEGALLY BLONDE
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BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTOR ROLE FINALIST
MARCUS MCGHEE Homewood-Flossmoor High School Sebastian, DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID
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BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTRESS ROLE FINALIST
MOLLY JONES Harry D. Jacobs High School Madame Thénardier, LES MISÉRABLES
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BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTOR ROLE NOMINEES
Luke Brock
Wheaton Academy
Jean Valjean, LES MISÉRABLES
Adam DeVerville
Hoffman Estates High School
Gomez Addams, THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Jonah Groff
Mother McAuley High School
Joseph, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
Joe Kaiser
Saint Viator High School
Edward Bloom, BIG FISH
Sebastián Llavona
Dundee-Crown High School
Dmitry, ANASTASIA
Micah Merrill
Oak Park and River Forest High School
Tom Collins, RENT: SCHOOL EDITION
Brennan Monaghan
Lake Zurich High School
Billy Flynn, CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION
John Musso
Wheaton Academy
Javert, LES MISÉRABLES
James Sobota
The Chicago Academy for the Arts
Billy Flynn, CHICAGO: TEEN EDITION
BEST PERFORMER IN AN ACTRESS ROLE NOMINEES
Charlotte Dean
Joliet West High School
Delilah McPhee, BETWEEN THE LINES
Makayla Eiseman
Cary-Grove High School
Hope Cladwell, URINETOWN
Camila Flores
Hinsdale South High School
Janis Sarkisian, MEAN GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL VERSION
Lainey Jennings
Harrisburg High School
Anya/Princess Anastasia, ANASTASIA
Tireoluwani Lawal
University High School
Brenda Strong, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Eleanor O’Shea
Homewood-Flossmoor High School
Ariel, DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID
Olivia Sage
Coal City High School
Elsa, DISNEY’S FROZEN
Corinne Stewart
Dundee-Crown High School
Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch, ANASTASIA
Melanie Vargas
Minooka Community High School
Katherine Blake, FREAKY FRIDAY
BACKSTAGE CHAMPION AWARD RECIPIENT & NOMINEES
Presented by Banner Kitchen & Bath Showroom
Navion Curry*
Belvidere North High School
Stage Management, DISNEY’S FROZEN
Brynn Engle
Crystal Lake South High School
Stage Management, MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT
Audrey Hart
Mother McAuley High School
Props Design/Management, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
Angela Jaeger
Glenbard West High School
Front of House/House Management, BETWEEN THE LINES
Ash (Harry) Komorowski
Homewood-Flossmoor High School
Lighting Design/Operation, DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID
BEST DIRECTION AWARD RECIPIENT & NOMINEES
Rob Boncosky, Cary-Grove High School, URINETOWN*
David Morgan, Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Ben Stoner, Crystal Lake South High School, MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT
Britnee Kenyon, Deerfield High School, PIPPIN
Michelle Bayer, Oak Park and River Forest High School, RENT: SCHOOL EDITION
BEST ENSEMBLE AWARD RECIPIENT & NOMINEES
Dunlap High School, GUYS AND DOLLS*
Adlai E. Stevenson High School, MARY POPPINS
Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
St. Charles East High School, NEWSIES
Vernon Hills High School, SEUSSICAL
BEST PRODUCTION AWARD RECIPIENT & NOMINEES
Coal City High School, DISNEY’S FROZEN*
Cary-Grove High School, URINETOWN
Homewood-Flossmoor High School, DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID
Lincoln-Way East High School, BIG FISH SCHOOL EDITION
William Fremd High School, LEGALLY BLONDE
*Denotes Award Recipient
2026 IHSMTA Student Reporters
Sophia Lin – Harrisburg High School
Ivan Diaz – Plainfield East High School*
*Denotes Jimmy Awards Finalist
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
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
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
Elgin High School
Elmwood Park High School
Evergreen Park High School
Glenbard West High School
Glenwood High School
Grayslake Central High School
Hampshire High School
Harlem 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 – Belmont Campus
Intrinsic Schools – Downtown Campus
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
Minooka Community High School
Moline Senior High School
Morgan Park Academy
Mother McAuley High School
Nazareth Academy
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
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