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Reagan Kern of Duluth has been named “Best Actress” by Hennepin Arts and will represent Minnesota at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (the Jimmy Awards®) – a national celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance and elevating the importance of theater arts education in schools.
NHSMTA invites two nominees from each local regional ceremony to New York City for a rigorous theatre intensive that includes coaching sessions, training and rehearsals led by some of Broadway’s most accomplished professionals.
Nominees will spend 10 days in New York City starting Friday, June 13. Throughout the week, their efforts will lead to one extraordinary talent showcase performed live in front of an audience on a Broadway stage. The 16th annual Jimmy Awards will take place June 23 at the Minskoff Theatre.
Kern is the first Duluthian to win Best Actress and will be Minnesota’s Jimmy Awards® Best Actress nominee at the Jimmy Awards.
Kern, a graduating senior from Duluth and previous Triple Threat Award recipient in 2024, performed in her school’s production of Legally Blonde as Elle Woods and is excited to represent Minnesota when she heads to New York City.
“Through my time working with theatre companies in my community I have fostered relationships and built connections that Denfeld Theatre has been able to draw on for both artistic and financial support,” said Kern. “I strive to be a leader in the classroom, on stage and in my community. My involvement with Spotlight has supported my leadership goals.”
Events
The Superior High Dive Challenge will be held July 10-13 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Part of Festival of Sail, the event will feature 10 internationally ranked high divers competing from 65 feet. A 65-foot scaffolding tower is being built by Watershow Productions, led by Minnesota native Dana Kunze. She holds the world record for the highest dive ever performed – an astonishing 172 feet – and produces professional high diving shows across the country. The tower will be constructed on the newly completed seawall behind the DECC, the competition venue.
. Going Bananas Run participants will don banana suits and race through the heart of the Lincoln Park Craft District on Saturday morning. A surprise guest known as “The Gorilla” will join the race two minutes after the start, aiming to catch up with the runners. Those who outpace the gorilla will earn a special prize and trigger a donation to Project Joy, a local nonprofit dedicated to combating childhood hunger in the Northland. “This has been an event four years in the making,” said event creator Andrew Weisz. Sign up.
