Musical theater teens reflect on the 2025 Jerry Awards
Isa Killian
On Sunday, June 8, hundreds of Wisconsin high school students took to the Overture Hall stage for the annual Jerry Awards. This lively production, split into two shows at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., featured a variety of show tunes and an impressive array of talent. Students, families and fans traveled from around the state to witness the culmination of the 2024/25 high school musical theater season.
Hearing the news
Jerry Award results, released to schools each May, recognize students’ excellence in categories such as lead performance, stage crew and ensemble. Educators can also win awards for direction, choreography and more.
Receiving a Jerry Award is no overlooked feat in Wisconsin high schools—students from over 100 high schools anxiously wait for their directors to announce the late spring results.
Coen Faber, a junior who won Outstanding Lead Performance for his role as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in “Guys and Dolls,” recalled the energy in the Mount Horeb High School choir room as his director declared the recipients.
“When he said my name, I was thrilled,” Faber said.
Schools that win Outstanding Musical earn the opportunity to perform a segment of their show during the Jerry Awards, and in many areas, the spotlight is breaking news. At the Jerry Awards, individual schools made their massive audience support clear with loud cheers coming from different sections of Overture Hall. Some schools even had local fire departments escorting the teen performers out of town on their way to the Overture Center.
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Coen Faber performing in the Lead Medley as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in "Guys and Dolls" -
Lead Medley Performance -
Overture Hall during the Jerry Awards
The Jerry Awards experience
For many students, participating in the Jerry Awards becomes a core moment of their teenage years. When asked their favorite aspect of the show, student responses vary so much that the positives appear never-ending. Many reflect on the chance to work with new people and the mutual support between performing schools.
Faber agreed, “Singing onstage, talking with friends backstage and then watching other performers sing, it’s really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Another common adoration from students is the feeling of performing in Overture Hall for an audience of over a thousand. With bright lights and an overwhelming, seat-filled view, the Jerry Awards take many students to the largest stage they’ve walked on.
The Jerry Ensemble
The 7 p.m. Jerry Awards performance opened with the Central and Southern Wisconsin Jerry Ensembles’ collaborative rendition of “Out of the Darkness” from “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.” Jerry Ensemble members, who audition for the group and perform in many events throughout the year, are a recurring part of the Jerry Awards, regardless of their school’s outcome. Still, these talented groups include many students who have received individual awards for their performances in local productions.
“I joined the Jerry Ensemble so I could let loose and have fun making music with people I really care about and who have the same interests as me,” said Leena Rathgeber, a junior at Monona Grove High School.
The ensemble helps encourage the Jerry Awards’ goal to enable teens to sing and dance in settings far from their local rehearsal rooms.
“The performance opportunities have been so worth it for me, coming from a small high school,” shared New Glarus High School senior Nathan Heil.
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The Jerry Ensemble -
Tim Sauers with the Jimmy Award nominees Nolan Travis and Lucy Natale -
The Jimmy Awards auditions -
Lucy Natale performing as Mary Poppins with Parker Arts Academy. -
Nolan Travis performing at the Jerry Awards
Next stop: The Jimmy Awards
On Monday, May 26, students who received an Outstanding Lead Performance award could audition for the chance to represent their school, city and state at the national Jimmy Awards in New York City. Overture Center’s 2025 Jimmy Award nominees, Lucy Natale and Nolan Travis, concluded the Jerry Awards with show-stopping solos that justified their statewide renown.
When Natale, a student at Parker Arts Academy, heard she’d attend the Jimmy Awards, she was elated.
“It’s been my dream to go since I was a freshman, and [I’m] so excited,” Natale said.
Although the 2025 Jerry Awards winners have already finished their bows, the musical theater celebration isn’t over: Jerry fans can watch the Jimmy Awards remotely on June 23 at 6:30 p.m. Here in Wisconsin, a new season of Jerry Awards-participating schools has already begun, and patrons can expect an upcoming season just as magical as the last.
Author Isa Killian is a junior at Middleton High School, a member of the Southern Wisconsin Jerry Ensemble and an Overture Center Jerry Awards Student Influencer.