Road to the Jimmys, Episode 7: Hear From the Broadway-Bound Winners of the DPAC Rising Star Awards

If the Tony Awards speak to what’s happening on Broadway now, the Jimmy Awards provide a forecast of Broadway's future. Formally known as the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Jimmy Awards are an annual celebration of outstanding musical theater talent in high schools across America—from Dallas to Des Moines, San Antonio to San Diego, Memphis to Minneapolis. This year's Jimmy Awards will be held on June 24 at the Minskoff Theatre. Until then, The Broadway Show will be chronicling the Road to the Jimmys, spotlighting a few of the regional competitions that send their most talented teens to New York City each spring.

Conor Kruger and Alex Fluker are the two young performers who will be representing the Durham Performing Arts Center's Rising Star Awards at this year's Jimmys. Ahead of their trip to New York City, the pair shared what their regional program has meant to them. "It's super important because it's sort of the pinnacle of high school theater in central North Carolina," said Kruger. "We typically have 30 to 40 schools participating, over 100 kids nominated, and getting to be one of those top 20 finalists and then performing on the wonderful DPAC stage is unlike anything else you'll ever get to do." Fluker added, "Genuinely, it has probably been the best theater experience I've ever had. I learned so much while I was there, and overall, it was just an amazing experience that I would do 100 times again if I could." 

Watch the full video below, and see Kruger and Fluker perform at the Minskoff Theatre on June 24 when the Jimmy Awards land in New York City.