Video: On the Red Carpet at the 2024 Jimmy Awards

♪ I've never felt so alive in the world ��

♪ So here together I realize I'm not alone anymore ♪ Hey there, Broadway World

We are here for the best night of the theater year. And no, I'm not talking about the Tony Awards

I'm talking about the Jimmy Awards. I am Katie Lynch here on the red carpet

of the 2024 Jimmy Awards, and I can't wait to see what incredible talent

is in store for us this year. ♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

And it's just a lot of fun. Who doesn't wanna see all the best young talent

in the country coming for our jobs? Why is arts education so important

Well, arts education is important because in a time of such divisiveness and anxiety and fear

it reminds us who we are. It reminds us of our humanity. It's one of the few things

that actually brings us all together to remind us the core of what we all want in the world

and what we want in ourselves. And for a young person, learning those values early can be life-saving

It was for me to build a foundation based on humanity, based on being in touch with your own self-confidence

your emotions, and shining a light on the beauty of our similarities, but also our differences in the world through the arts

Makes it, I think, the most valuable resource we have, both in education and just professionally

So I will always beat that drum. I mean, arts education, to me

this is the future of Broadway. I think without the Jimmy Awards, we wouldn't have the arts that we have

and we certainly wouldn't have the future of Broadway tomorrow. And it's very important to develop young people

so we have this pathway for tomorrow. Arts education is vital. And even if they don't go into the arts

it develops them as human beings, self-confidence, having all of those basic life skills

to move through down any path they choose. Well, I can't really add anything to that

I mean, arts education, it's about humanity. It's about what makes us who we are

And we can't lose that. We can't lose it in our schools. We can't lose it on Broadway or anywhere

We have to support the theater and keep it alive. And there's so many reasons not to go out

and not do anything and just stay at home, but you have to experience life

It's about feeling it. It's the feeling that live theater provides that Netflix can't replace

Sitting in a seat, watching it on a screen. It's the live theater, it's the energy

it's the vibration of a live audience and those performances on stage that cannot be replaced. Absolutely

So 15 years, what is the difference? Obviously, it's grown immensely, but from year one to year 15

in you guys, what is the difference coming into tonight? Well, I'm much, much older

How about that? But you know what? It's like every year, it's so inspirational

to work with these young people from all across the country. And it reminds me why I got into the theater

that those experiences, those emotions, and they come so willing to work

and so ridiculously talented. I mean, for me, I think it's two different things

They come in knowing some of the signature moves for choreography from watching all these videos on YouTube

And we've talked about this with the medleys. They kind of know what's coming or going

And it's become this just amazing energy in the room where we laugh about it and they get excited to melt down

and pop up and do all the things. But them watching it, understanding what it is

and then being a part of an ensemble continues to inspire us

which is why we keep coming back every year. This is awesome. And this is awesome because there's those moments

where you go, I saw them win. This is that night. This is that night

There's those moments where you see those stars and everybody is established

but then you get to see that up and coming person and you go, I was there that night that they sang this

And you can kind of see it. You know the ones that are going to be the next

And this is that night. And I can't, I'm one of those actors

that I love the next generation because I remember what it was like to be that

and to look down and say, yeah, come on up. You guys are exactly where you need to be

You're at the exact space. Remember this moment because you'll be able to look back and go, I was there and I made it this far

This is great. For all of us old heads, we get to look back and go, those are the guys that are going to take over for us

And that's, and I'm glad they should. They should be ready and we should be helping them

We should be saying, this is how you do it so that you can take this and take it to a place

we could never take it to. So I am very excited to be here tonight

The Jimmy Awards are important because young talent is so exciting to discover out here, not just out here

but there's so much young talent in musical theater and they have been working on this

The kids who are here, many of them have been doing this their whole lives

Some of them just discovered it was last year that they're a musical theater actor. So it's amazing to see that happen

and be born into the world. I hold this night very fondly

I participated in it in 2016 and was very fortunate to be best actor that year

And from then on out, everything is due to the Jimmys. I owe it all to them

and it is the most exciting night on Broadway. It really is, yes

For me, I was a judge that sent him here. And now he's a Broadway star

It doesn't get any better than that. We saw something in this young man

that we all believed was extraordinary and for him to come into this huge competition

and walk away a winner and now starring on Broadway, doesn't get better than that

I'm really happy to be here and to celebrate the next winners. And to see where, yeah, the future of Broadway

How's it feel tonight? I am thrilled to be back. I've been a Jimmy Awards coach since 2012

And so my affiliation with the Jimmy Awards has been for quite some time

And it always amazes me. It never gets old. I am always inspired to be around

the next generation of Broadway. I've been doing it now for a generation, I guess

That's wild to think about, that I've been doing it for 12 years. But we are here as coaches to bestow

what it is our experience and our knowledge onto this next generation of students

But really, what the secret is, being with them all week actually teaches me

so much about who I am as an artist. So it's really a gift that they're giving to me

by being with them, because I always feel so inspired, energized after I've been with them