16 high schools from 10 counties in Kentucky and Southern Indiana have been selected for the inaugural Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA) Bradley Awards, taking place June 1, 2025 at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. This program is an official partner of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®), known also as The Jimmy Awards®. While KPA’s Governor’s School for the Arts program celebrates young artists at the state level, the KPA Bradley Awards will launch talented youth in Kentucky and Southern Indiana to the national stage while building community amongst the region’s high school theatre programs. The KPA Bradley Awards are presented by KPA in partnership with the Louisville Theatrical Association.
Awards will be given in various categories, of which students, educators, and ensembles are eligible. The two students awarded Best Actor and Best Actress in a Leading Role will represent our region at the 2025 Jimmy Awards® in New York City, which includes 10 days of private coaching, master classes and rehearsals with theater professionals, all-expenses paid. The week will culminate in a national awards ceremony at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway.
“We are ecstatic to announce the schools for the inaugural KPA Bradley Awards,” says Kim Baker, Kentucky Performing Arts President and CEO. “The KPA Bradley Awards, like Governor’s School for the Arts, continue our mission to connect our communities through the arts, and we look forward to bringing these young communities together.”
The KPA Bradley Awards seek to build community amongst our region’s high school theatre programs, all of which are worthy of celebration for the value they bring to our youth and our communities.
Participating schools are:
- Bryan Station High School
- Daviess County High School
- Youth Performing Arts School (at duPont Manual High School)
- Greenwood High School
- John Hardin High School
- Lafayette High School
- Franklin County High School
- McCracken County High School
- Kentucky Country Day School
- Randall K Cooper High School
- Ballard High School
- Floyd Central High School
- Sacred Heart Academy/Sacred Heart School for the Arts
- New Albany High School
- Mercer County Senior High School
- Paul Laurence Dunbar
Participating schools will have a team of three adjudicators view their musical. The KPA Bradley Awards final ceremony will take place in Whitney Hall at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, located in Louisville, KY. Schools and students can be nominated in numerous categories, including:
- Behind The Scenes Excellence
- Outstanding Community Engagement (i.e. fundraising for charity, raising awareness of an important issue, etc.)
- Student Reporter Recognition
- Outstanding Student Designer
- Outstanding Arts Educator
- Outstanding Technical Execution
- Outstanding Dance Execution
- Outstanding Ensemble Performance
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role*
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role*
- Best Actor in a Leading Role*
- Best Actress in a Leading Role*
- Best Overall Musical Production
*Students are adjudicated in the category corresponding to their gender identification, not the gender of the role they play. Students identifying as non-binary or gender-fluid may choose to either select the category in which they wish to be adjudicated (regardless of the gender of the role) or they may be adjudicated based on the gender of the role they play.
