Laura Benanti to Host 10th Annual Jimmy Awards

It was announced today that Tony Award winner Laura Benanti, seen on Broadway earlier this season in Steve Martin's Meteor Shower, will host the 10th annual Jimmy Awards ceremony at the Minskoff Theatre on Monday, June 25.

Benanti began her Broadway career at the age of 18, starring opposite Richard Chamberlain in The Sound of Music. Since then, she has appeared in nine Broadway shows (including Gypsy and She Loves Me) and has been nominated for five Tony Awards (winning for Gypsy). Her recent TV appearances include The Detour (current series regular), Nashville, Supergirl, The Good Wife, and frequent appearances as Melania Trump on Late Night With Stephen Colbert.

The 2018 Jimmy Awards ceremony, presented by the Broadway League Foundation, will include a record number of 80 participants from 40 regional programs across the country. The show will include ensemble and solo performances, and at the end, it will name this year's Jimmy Award winners of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.

Jimmy Awards nominees will prepare for their debut on a Broadway stage during a nine-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio on Broadway faculty members plus other theater professionals. Winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts.

Founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO, and Broadway Education Alliance (BEA), the mission of the Jimmy Awards/National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) is to raise the profile of musical theater in schools, recognize dedicated teachers, and inspire the next generation of performers and enthusiasts. Since the inception of the program, participating students have earned over $2 million in university and conservatory scholarships. Several student participants have already been cast in Broadway, touring, and West End productions.

At this year's event, the Inspiring Teacher Award, presented by Wells Fargo, will be presented to Janine Papin of Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida, and Nadine Love of William R. Boone High School in Orlando, Florida.