Iowa celebrates Creston theater students

This year, two Creston High School students will be competing for a chance to attend the Jimmy Awards, a national high school musical theater awards program in New York City.

Senior Sam Duncan and Sophomore Carson Beer are competing through the Triple Threat Program against 80 other Iowa students, with the winner announced 7 p.m. Thursday in a livestream on Iowa PBS.

In order to audition for the Triple Threat Program, students must be awarded Outstanding Achievement in a Principal Role from their performance in a school musical. CHS had four students honored with this title, along with four other awards, from their November show “Anything Goes.”

“Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards is a program run by the Des Moines Performing Arts,” CHS theater director Jennifer Gaesser said. “It is a program designed to celebrate all the schools’ musicals in the state of Iowa. Usually it’s three to four adjudicators out to watch your shows, and then they write several pages of information of all the good things they’ve seen and all the things we maybe could do a little bit better. Then we give out our awards in the spring.”

Along with Duncan and Beer, sophomore Wyatt Hitz and junior Rhianna Weems were recognized for Outstanding Achievement in a Principal Role. Senior Jocelyn Burkhalter received Special Recognition in a Principal Role.

“It’s a very great accomplishment,” Gaesser said. “That means they’re good at singing, dancing and acting.”

Sophomore Karlee Capson was recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design.

As a whole, the ensemble received Outstanding Ensemble, and the entire cast received Outstanding Musical Production.

“When you look at the list, only 18 schools got it, and we’re one of the 18 schools,” Gaesser said. “So we got Outstanding Musical Production, which means they liked everything within our show: what was happening on the stage with the actors and the singers, what is happening in the lighting and the sound design, everything that is incorporated into a musical.”

From more than 100 schools, 140 students auditioned for the Triple Threat Program, with 80 students going forward into the program. From those 80 students, one male and one female student will be chosen to represent Iowa at the Jimmy Awards at The Juilliard School in New York City, where students from across the nation will compete. Previous Jimmy Award winners include Reneé Rapp, Ryan McCartan and Eva Noblezada.

Thursday night, Iowa High School Musical Theater Award winners will perform at the Des Moines Civic Center. Iowa PBS will livestream the event at 7 p.m., with a broadcast premiering July 9 at 8 p.m.

“This will showcase all the triple threats in a medley, and the winner, the Iowa two winners are announced that night on Iowa PBS, and the winner sings right after they’re announced, so they will get televised there,” Gaesser said. “Our Outstanding Ensemble will get to perform at the Des Moines Civic Center stage, a small portion of one of their songs as a group, so all the Creston kids in the group will get to perform.”

While this isn’t the first time CHS students have been awarded by the Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards, it’s always an honor.

“I’m just really proud of the students and the work that they’ve put into this year’s show,” Gaesser said. “It’s really about them. This wouldn’t be possible if they didn’t put in the work.”