Video: Stars Walk the Red Carpet at the 2023 Jimmy Awards

I look back to see where I've been watching

Fade to Black so my life can begin. It's time to say goodbye

It's time to say goodbye. Time to say goodbye. Goodbye. I'm just so honored to be able to be here

Again, this is my second time hosting the Jimmy's. This is the future of Broadway here

It's the next generation. I'm just so happy that I get a chance to witness it

and really see the excitement and the love that these kids have for the theater

It's just always such a great reminder. I'm currently in Connecticut myself at Goodspeed Opera House

We're working on Summer Stock the musical. And we're in that phase right now where it's just a lot

just trying to put a very big show together in a very short amount of time

and when I see what I'm seeing up on that stage, that's all I need

It's just that reminder, that's what we're doing. That's why we do what we do

I just remember being so nervous and being so like desperate to please

but like there was a huge emotion, overwhelming emotion of just like

this is my moment, this is our moment, and it's really a collective celebration

of just the passion for the arts starting at such a young age. So I know it's a competition

but at the end of the day, it's really just like an accomplishment for everybody

I mean people are making their Broadway stage debuts That a huge deal So I just excited It going to be a great night I mean the Jimmy I will say had a hand in getting me to where I am today Absolutely

My first year, I was here. I was gifted the Carnegie Mellon Pre College Program Scholarship

And that brought me there for six weeks and gave me all the training and tips that I needed

going into my college auditions, and then ended up getting into the University of Michigan

studying there, getting my BFA, and then brought me straight to New York. and that's why I'm here

I definitely, like, I would not be here without it. I'm so grateful to have had the experience nieve once, but twice

This is my Super Bowl. Like, this is the night every year that, like, is just so filled with joy and love

And, like, right now, we don't know who the winners are. And in, like, three hours we will, and they'll know

and everybody will have done something remarkable. It's the most fun, beautiful, high-wire act

It's not to be missed. I don't know, it's something about the medleys, I think, that just perfectly encapsulates

the Broadway essence and just getting to hear so many familiar tunes and just performed

with so much truth and talent. It's like unbelievable to watch unfold. And I think there's

just something for like theater people specifically about seeing like your inner theater kid

like achieving their biggest dreams and performing on the jimmies and making it to

finals and just tearing that stage up, I think it's just something that we can all relate to, like that dream

And so that why I think it so special and these people are all so deserving and so talented So it really exciting to be here I been lucky enough to be asked to be part of it for 14 years now and it thrilling It not about finding tomorrow Broadway star

which God knows we do find. It's really about seeing the talent of these high school kids

and the energy and the want. And it's so beautiful to watch and to be part of

and to sort of try to help open the window for them

You know, they're really tomorrow's, future so it's it's thrilling. I think what we're looking for is somebody that has a

diversity of talent so that they really have the ability to come into the

industry as a working actor and then you know as a profession I'm an executive

producer and so I also like this opportunity idea that we're giving the

opportunity to learn what the other careers are on Broadway they don't know

much beyond acting but there are so many careers in so many fields and we have

the opportunity to teach them about some of that too. Well, you know, this is where we cultivate talent, young talent

As a matter of fact, true story, I just hired, I just finished a workshop for a new show

and one of the leads was the winner from last year, Candle Bacera

So, you know, it's a place where we find and we breed the talent, you know, for the future

I'm like shaking from excitement and from nerves for some reason. But like, I feel so grateful to be here and so blessed to have had the opportunity

And now there 96 more people doing the same exact thing And I think it so wonderful that they doing it And I so excited to see what happens with every single one of them I just so grateful What do you remember the most about your experience last year

My answer to that is always going to be the people, just the amazing community that surrounded

you at all times, the kindness and the dedication and the hard work

It really reminded me how powerful theater can be and especially being among people that love

you and care about you that are your age. was life-changing. I am so excited to be here because it's been, I haven't been back since

2015, which was my year, and I'm just excited to see everyone perform and do their thing

see the opening number. Mine still lives rent-free in my head. And the medleys

I'm just so excited to see how it's changed and grown and, like, expanded and just the kids

are so talented. So it's very exciting. Do you have any advice? If you could talk to them

before they were going on stage right now, what would you tell everybody getting ready to perform? I think it's easy to like let the pressure and kind of like the stage gets to you but really enjoy it because it goes by so quickly and it's such an incredible experience that they're having

So just like embrace it all and take it all in. Yeah absolutely just take a deep breath, take it all in, savor the memory, it's going to be something you remember forever and it's magical and something to cherish

Stay open, stay flexible. You know the entertainment career path is it's everybody looks different and it's very winding and you have to be flexible and and it's, you know, it's open, stay flexible, you know, the entertainment career path is, it's, it's everything, everybody looks different and it's very winding and you have to be flexible and you have to be flexible and you have to be flexible and, you know, you know, it's

because you know whatever's meant for you is meant for you as long as you stay open and stay focused enough to be there for you

I would say just go out there and have fun be you if you're quirky if you're odd be that quirky and odd person because there is space for you