Well, today is a big day for two young
central Ohio musical theatre performers.
Pickerington North's Christian Strong and
recent Olentangy graduate Helena Enberg
are in the 2023 Kappa Marquis Award.
They are the winners from here locally.
Today they're heading to Broadway to
participate in the Jimmy's that is the
High School Musical Theatre Awards.
10 TV photojournalist Bram Folk sat
down with them before their big trip.
Best actor in a leading role and
on their way to New York. Christian Strong.
The moment that they announced
my name on stage, it did not feel real.
Helena and Bird, but
just the experience of the jimmies.
How they call it the future of Broadway
cuz it's these young kids on the stage.
It does feel like a dream come true.
Christian and I have been crowned
the winners of the 2023 Kappa
Marquis Awards and we are given the
incredible opportunity to head to
New York City to participate in the
National Jimmy Awards so we get to
work with industry professionals for.
The whole 10 days and just make
connections with a lot of people who
are looking to go into the industry
and are already in the industry and
they get to perform on Broadway,
on the mints golf theater stage
where The Lion King performs.
So they get an incredible opportunity
and they also have a chance to compete
for scholarship money and the title,
the national title,
the fact that we get to like go to
New York and represent our school
and represent the people who we love,
like we really want to do them proud.
It's just a really wonderful experience
for them to be able to propel themselves
to the next level and to see that
it is possible and attainable and
that it is something that they can
definitely aspire to and achieve.
And let's just be honest,
a lot of a lot of our high schools,
they celebrate sports,
but they don't always celebrate
the arts in the same way.
So this program gives us an opportunity
to celebrate those students.
And to bring those students from
their own individual school
communities into a much larger
community of theater lovers,
theater artists, theater professionals
for me. Theater is family at this point.
Like when I step into the
black box theater at my school,
like, I'm so comfortable.
I can be, I can be myself.
Like, I don't have to worry.
It's ironic how this stage is where you feel
the most comfortable. Yeah.
And like when when you're playing somebody
who's completely different from you,
it's like that's when you're most yourself.
And that's one thing that I love
about the theater community because I
remember one of my favorite drag Queens,
she said theater kids are geniuses.
And it's true. Like, we take on.
So much. And a lot of people like,
don't understand how much we do.
For me, it's like it's a family,
like Christian said,
and you feel comfortable to be yourself.
It's a place for expression.
Theater can change the world,
and I believe that.
And it's all because of the community.
I mean, you can't do it alone.
Like we would not be here if we didn't
have our directors and friends,
our fellow nominees.
Like, it's just this big community,
that full of people who give back to each
other and who give back to the world.
You don't have to be like
some nerdy Broadway person.
You could be a football
jock and you never know,
like you could be a cheerleader, right?
If you have the passion to do it,
then do it and.
The community will accept you
well. The 14th Annual Jimmy Awards will be
streamed live from Broadway on June 26th.
You can find more information on tentv.com.
You can just click on that story.
And we wish them the best of luck as they
head out to New York City, represent central
Ohio. Nice and proud.
Yeah, we love that.
And they're both super talented.
You could hear their voice.
Yeah, the thoughts there like the sounds.
So much power, So much power.
That's that's Broadway.
Yeah. Luck to that, Yeah,
you have to be able to
really belted and yeah,
good luck to them, just like.