A Tinley Park student is among two teenagers chosen to represent Illinois at the prestigious Jimmy Awards, scheduled to take place in just under two weeks.
This opportunity is part of a program sponsored by Broadway in Chicago, dedicated to nurturing young talent in musical theater.
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“I’m eager to soak up knowledge from all these incredibly talented individuals,” shared Logan Arroyo. “Opportunities like this are rare, and I want to seize it and make the most of every moment.”
Arroyo has been striving to reach this milestone for the past four years.
“The first year, I didn’t make it, the second and third years, I was nominated, and now, I’ve finally won,” Arroyo explained.
He said he discovered his passion for theater in a third-grade play.
“I had never touched musicals, plays, anything like that. I got into it, and my teacher is like, ‘Hey, you’re really good at this.’ And I was like, ‘Am I?’ I don’t know. And my parents came and saw it. And they were just like, ‘Wow, we didn’t know that you could do that.’ I wouldn’t be where I am now without my parents. I say it’s cliche, but they are my rock,” Arroyo said.
The music director at Lincoln-Way East said Arroyo has a knack for storytelling.
“He did pretty early on indicate he wanted to do this; so I said, ‘let’s go, we’re gonna work hard,” Ann McMann-Kotze said. “Four years ago, my son, Joe, won. He won the best actor at the Illinois High School Musical Theater Awards. And he got to go to the Jimmys. So it’s so fun getting to see Logan go. Also, he’s kind of like another son to me.”
Arroyo said he does sometimes get intimidated.
“It’s a scary place, especially putting yourself out there on a stage or alone. You’re on the edge of this precipice, and you’re pushing yourself. And you’re staying out there, and you’re being you because that’s enough,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo and Jane Nuich of Park Ridge are heading to New York later this week for their Broadway debuts.
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