About IHSMTA

Broadway In Chicago is delighted to have high schools across the State of Illinois participate in the 16th 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, Best Ensemble and Backstage Champion. 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 to be a part of a network of theatres across the country participating in The Jimmy Awards®.

Important Dates

Final Day for Adjudication: Sunday, April 18, 2027

2027 IHSMTA Ceremony Date: May 17, 2027

The Jimmy Awards®: Summer 2027 (exact date to be announced)

Participating Schools

Addison Trail High School

Adlai E. Stevenson High School

Amundsen High School

Auburn High School

Aurora Central Catholic High School

Barrington High School

Batavia High School

Belvidere North High School

Benet Academy

Bolingbrook High School

Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School

Bremen High School

Burlington Central High School

Byron High School

Carbondale Community High School

Carl Sandburg High School

Cary-Grove High School

Champaign Central High School

Charleston High School

The Chicago Academy for the Arts

Chicago Christian High School

Clinton High School

Coal City High School

Crete-Monee High School

Crystal Lake Central High School

Crystal Lake South High School

Deerfield High School

DeKalb High School

Delavan High School

Dundee-Crown High School

Dunlap High School

Elk Grove High School

Elmwood Park High School

Evergreen Park High School

Fenwick High School

Glenbard South 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

Highland Park High School

Hinsdale South High School

Hoffman Estates High School

Homewood-Flossmoor High School

Huntley High School

James B. Conant High School

Joliet Central High School

Joliet West High School

Kaneland High School

Kankakee High School

Lake Forest High School

Lane Tech High School

Larkin High School

Leyden High Schools

Libertyville High School

Lincoln-Way Central 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

Marist High School

Metamora Township High School

Minooka Community High School

Morgan Park Academy

Mother McAuley High School

Murphysboro High School

Nazareth Academy

Newton Community High School

Northside College Prep High School

Oak Park and River Forest High School

Oswego High School

Palatine High School

Paris High School

Plainfield Central High School

Plainfield East High School

Plainfield North High School

Plainfield South High School

Plano High School

Prairie Ridge High School

Providence Catholic High School

Reed-Custer High School

Richwoods High School

Romeoville High School

Rosary College Prep

Saint Ignatius College Prep

Saint Viator High School

Schaumburg High School

St Francis High School

Sycamore High School

Taft High School

Timothy Christian High School

Trinity High School

United Township High School

University High School

Vernon Hills High School

Wauconda High School

Wheaton Academy

Woodstock High School