Around Fairfield
"There's a million things I haven't done, just you wait." Jake Ulanday, a Fairfield resident for eight years, recently made his Broadway debut at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards held on June 27, 2022, at the Minskoff Theater in New York City. The "Jimmy Awards" (named after James M. Nederlander, legendary Broadway theatre owner and producer) celebrates outstanding student achievement in high school musical theatre. The award impacts over 140,000 students annually who participate in musical theatre competitions sponsored by over forty professional theatres throughout the U.S. Theatre Under The Stars is the administrative body that conducts the competition for the Greater Houston area. Jake, a member of Bridgeland High School's Class of 2023, won Best Performance in a Lead Role by TUTS for his portrayal as Anthony Hope in BHS's production of Sweeney Todd, School Edition, directed by Adam Delka and Nathan Stanaland. Even though his first onstage appearance was in 5th grade (as Linus in You're a Good Man, 6 Fairfield Community Gazette - August 2022
Submitted by Dennis Ulanday, Jake’s dad
– from Hamilton
Charlie Brown), his winning performance marked his first lead role in high school.
theatre departments were nominated in 11 categories in the Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) Tommy Tune Awards, held virtually on May 27. The awards are Houston’s high school version of the Tony Awards, which recognize and celebrate musical theatre.
"Up until my sophomore year of high school, I was pretty scared to get up on stage and act in front of everybody," Jake said. That year, he was chosen as an understudy for a role and unexpectedly found himself on stage when the lead fell ill. "At first, I was scared, but I gave it my all, and at the show's end, I got a bunch of congratulations from everybody, and it was a great feeling." Jake likens his Broadway experience to practicing while he was on Bridgeland's golf team. "Performing well on stage and in a tournament takes a lot of hard work and repetition. You spend all that time practicing, learning all the lines, and to see it pay off feels really good." Jake plans to pursue a career in acting or a degree in the performing arts. CFISD states that students from the Bridgeland, Cypress Ranch and Cypress Woods high school
The 2022 awards were highlighted by Bridgeland High School junior Jake Ulanday winning Best Performance in a Lead Role for his role of Anthony Hope in the school’s production of Sweeney Todd and Cypress Ranch High School junior C.J. Friend earning a runner-up award for Best Performance in a Lead Role for her role of Berthe in the school’s production of Pippin. According to CFISD, in addition to earning Tommy Tune Awards, both Ulanday and Friend are 2022 National High School Musical Theatre Jimmy Award nominees. The national competition will bring together approximately 90 students who will work with Broadway professionals for a week. The week concludes with the Jimmy Awards, which include both awards and scholarships.
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