Joshua Gross wins National Jimmy Award

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by Tina James, Education Programs Coordinator for the Patel Conservatory
(On behalf of the Straz Center, Tina accompanied students to New York for the National High School Musical Theater Awards. Below is part of her series that took us through their exciting week. This updated post gives a more detailed account of the event than a previous post.)Road to the Jimmy Awards – Day 5 and 6

From left, Joshua Gross, Tina James and Samantha Schneider-Behen

The last blog post ended the day on Friday. Saturday and Sunday were pretty much the same in terms of rehearsals with the exception of the Judge’s performance on Sunday.The Judge’s performance is the judge’s first opportunity to see the students perform. The students performed both their medleys and their solos. The medleys consisted of excerpts of songs from the nominees awarded performances merged together to create a unique storyline. This gave the judges an opportunity to see what role the nominees won. The solos were songs that the students selected to showcase their vocal talents.Samantha sang, “Say the Word” from The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown. Joshua sang, “Il Mondo Era Vuoto” from The Light in the Piazza.


This was the first time we had an opportunity to see the students perform. They both were amazing!


In addition to performing their medleys and solos, they also performed the opening number.Now it’s Monday and the excitement is in the air. Everyone was up bright and early and ready to head to the Minskoff Theatre. We all boarded the buses and headed to BROADWAY!The Minskoff Theatre on Broadway is home to Disney’s The Lion King. The students were amazed to perform on the same stage as the artists from this amazing production.Throughout the day, students went through blocking, sound check and rehearsed with an orchestra.Finally it was time: the moment we’ve all been waiting for... The students have all worked hard for this day. The curtain went up and the students took their places on stage. Let the show begin!Once the opening number was complete, the students took the stage in their various medley groups. Samantha sang a portion of “You Don’t Know This Man” from Parade and Joshua sang, “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera.

Then it was time to announce the finalist. They would name three females and three males. The first finalist called was…Joshua Grosso!




The six finalists left stage to prepare for their solo performances. Joshua was the first to take the stage and he blew the audience away, receiving a standing ovation. Joshua performed, “Il Mondo Era Vuoto” from The Light in the Piazza. 

Joshua Gross, Best Actor at the National High
School Musical Theater Awards!

The solos were complete and the judges deliberated. Then it was time to name the finalist...Joshua’s name was called first. He was selected as Best Actor and received the coveted Jimmy Award. As a winner, Joshua will receive a $10,000 scholarship towards his college education.Congratulations to Joshua Grosso! We are so very proud of him and we wish him all the best at Carnegie Mellon University. - Tina(As the Education Programs Coordinator for the Patel Conservatory, Tina oversees the Conservatory’s Community Partnership program as well as all community-based programs involving Broadway Family Nights, Family First Night, National High School Musical Theater Awards as well as National Broadway League initiatives.)