Charlotte’s Reneé Rapp Wins National High School Theater Award
Recent Northwest School of the Arts graduate and Blumey Award-winner Reneé Rapp won the "Best Performance by an Actress" award at the 10th Jimmy Awards on Monday night. Rapp was given the honor for her role in the magnet school’s production of Big Fish. This year’s Jimmy Awards were hosted by Tony-winner Laura Benanti and was held at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre.
Rapp is the second Charlottean to win this honor, following Amina Faye’s 2016 win. Eva Noblezada, the NWSA alum who would go up against Bette Middle for a Tony Award, was a finalist for the same award in 2013.
Rapp has had a busy season, following a win at May's Blumey Awards ceremony, celebrating the best in regional high school theater, her NWSA graduation, and a turn in Theatre Charlotte’s popular production of Spring Awakening, which ended its run in early June. Rapp started performing at Theatre Charlotte at 10 years old.
During the week leading up to the ceremony, students took part in a training intensive at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Eighty teens, in total, were competing for Jimmy Awards this year. Rapp was one of four finalists for “Best Performance by an Actress.” With her award, she received a $10,000 scholarship. Rapp is planning to attend Texas State to study musical theater.
