Charlotte Student Cracks Top Actress Group at National High School Musical Theater Awards

Eva Maria Noblezada of Northwest School of the Arts was one of the top four finishers in the Best Actress category at the 2013 Jimmy Awards in New York.

The Jimmy Awards are a national, week-long Broadway "boot camp" and competition for the winners of high school musical theater awards from across the United States. Sixty-two high school students from 31 organizations competed in the Jimmy's this summer at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. The show was held on Broadway at the Minskoff Theater, home to "The Lion King," as an orchestra in the pit featuring some of Broadway's top musicians played. Participants performed an opening and closing group number to a medley of songs from various shows arranged by Michael Moricz, received intense advice on their solo songs from Broadway veterans and were even taken on a field trip to watch "Annie" on Broadway after dining at famed theater-district restaurant Sardi's.

Noblezada and Areon Mobasher of Charlotte Latin School represented Charlotte in New York after winning Best Actress and Best Actor in the 2013 Blumenthal Performing Arts High School Musical Theater Awards in May at Belk Theater. Sponsored by Wells Fargo, "The Blumey Awards" were created by Blumenthal Performing Arts two years ago to recognize, celebrate and nurture the talents of high school theater students in the Charlotte region, as well as offer area students a pathway to the national competition in New York.

This year was the first time one of Charlotte's winners cracked the top group at The Jimmy's. Noblezada was among the four actresses invited to perform a solo for the judges, putting her in the group from which the best national actress was chosen.

"We were thrilled to have one of our Charlotte representatives be among the finalists in the national competition in only the second year of The Blumey Awards," said Blumenthal Performing Arts President Tom Gabbard. "It speaks to the quality of the high school musical theater programs and the teachers leading these efforts in our region." Thirty-two Charlotte area high schools participated in The Blumey Awards this year.

"I have learned so much throughout this whole experience not only as an actor but as a person," said Noblezada, who won Best Actress at the Blumey's for her portrayal of "Ariel" in Northwest School of the Art's production of Footloose. "The part of The Jimmy's that stood out to me most was the lack of competitiveness. It was a competition, but none of us saw it that way. We wanted to simply share our love for what we do with the audience, with each other and with ourselves," she said.

Mobasher, who won Best Actor for his portrayal of "Jean Valjean" in Charlotte Latin School's production of Les Miserables, is new to acting. His award winning performance in The Blumey Awards was his first foray into musical theater, but his experience with The Blumeys and The Jimmy's has him thinking hard about his career aspirations.

"An opportunity like this seemed like just a dream to someone like me, who is barely in the larval stage of being a novice in the musical theater world," said Mobasher. "It was intimidating at first, but I immediately clicked with my fellow nominees and the sense of community was amazing. Though I'm not certain of what I want to study in college this fall, I know I want to perform out in the professional world and this definitely has me rethinking my long term career goals."

ABOUT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS

Blumenthal Performing Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education provider. For more information, call(704) 372-1000 or visit BlumenthalArts.org. Blumenthal Performing Arts receives operating support from the Arts & Science Council and the North Carolina Arts Council. Blumenthal Performing Arts is also supported through the generous aid of its sponsors including, Carolinas HealthCare System, official healthcare sponsor of Blumenthal Performing Arts; and Duke Energy, sponsor of the Duke Energy Broadway Lights Series.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski