Recent Coronado High School and Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) graduate Addison Nesbitt was one of two San Diego students to win the Broadway San Diego Awards and advance to the Jimmy Awards competition in New York City. The Jimmy Awards are the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, held annually to provide top performing arts students from across the United States the opportunity to learn and perform in a professional setting on Broadway.<\/p>\n
Nesbitt has grown up and attended schools in Coronado since her family moved here when she was in third grade, and her love of theater began early on in her life. \u201cMy dad always did theater,\u201d she said of her inspiration. \u201cHe was a part of the men\u2019s glee club at the Naval Academy, and he was always doing shows. My first show was actually one of his, \u2018Hairspray,\u2019 I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then, Nesbitt has been part of numerous shows in Coronado, starting with a production of \u201cWilly Wonka\u201d and later joining her elementary school\u2019s choir. She also participated in the Advanced Performing Arts program at Coronado Middle School and CoSA at Coronado High School.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sophomore year I got to play Aunt March in \u2018Little Women,\u2019\u201d Nesbitt mentioned. \u201cShe\u2019s like the mean, old aunt and gets to have some pretty cool operatic moments when she sings. That overall experience and getting to work with everyone on that show was so amazing and so fun. I\u2019ve also done the \u2018Addams Family,\u2019 was a featured dancer in \u2018Pippin,\u2019 and I was the Cheshire Cat in \u2018Alice by Heart.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Her final production in CoSA before graduating was as Katherine, the mom in \u201cFreaky Friday\u201d who, for a large portion of the show, is actually the daughter trapped within Katherine\u2019s body. \u201cSo I\u2019m the mom, who acts like the daughter, which was one of the most fun roles to perform that I\u2019ve ever had. Especially because I got to be funny and make the audience laugh,\u201d Nesbitt said. It was also her performance as Katherine that started her journey to the Jimmy Awards.<\/p>\n
To be nominated to compete in New York City, students first have to compete in their respective Regional Awards Program, like the Broadway San Diego Awards. To qualify for the Broadway San Diego Awards, Nesbitt had to be in a school show that qualified for the competition (which CoSA\u2019s production of \u201cFreaky Friday\u201d did) and then be nominated by her director. After that, representatives from Broadway San Diego attended one of the show\u2019s performances to review Nesbitt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a call back from Broadway San Diego and went and auditioned before a panel,\u201d she explained. Nesbitt, along with two other CoSA students (Julia Davidson and Amanda Nurding), were among the 20 young actors selected to compete in the Awards from across San Diego County.<\/p>\n
After an intensive week of rehearsals, Nesbitt performed two songs in front of a panel of judges and performed in the two group numbers. \u201cThose were pretty hefty routines,\u201d Nesbitt said. \u201cThe closing number was about ten minutes long, and the opening number was \u2018One Short Day\u2019 from \u2018Wicked,\u2019 which was funny because our host for the Jimmy Awards was Bowen Yang, so that was almost like a precursor Easter Egg to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nesbitt\u2019s performances struck the right chord with the judges, which included her rendition of \u201cParents Lie\u201d from \u201cFreaky Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the song, the daughter (still in her mom\u2019s body) is telling her little brother, \u2018Hey, parents lie. You think your mom is so great, but she lies a lot,\u2019\u201d Nesbitt explained. \u201cSome of the lines are pretty funny, but then there are also sweet moments, as well as pretty heart-wrenching moments. \u2018They lie with words, they lie with hugs,\u2019 and lines like that. It\u2019s a song that I think shows a great range of feeling in the communication between the character and her brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nesbitt won the Broadway San Diego Best Actress Award, securing her spot at the Jimmy Awards in June alongside T\u00e9o Levy from the San Diego School of Creative & Performing Arts, who won the Best Actor Award.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was my first time experiencing New York City,\u201d Nesbitt noted. \u201cWe landed Friday, arriving at the Juilliard dorms, and then Saturday and Sunday we got to know everyone. We did a dance audition, a dance call, workshops, and stuff like that. We also met the creative team and were given a preliminary coaching session where we got to work with industry professionals on the song that we were going to perform for the judges.\u201d<\/p>\n
Similarly to the competition in San Diego, the students at the Jimmy Awards had the opportunity to perform one minute of a character song and a contrasting song of their choice. \u201cThe morning of the competition, we performed our contrasting song for the judges, and then they would ask you an interview question,\u201d she mentioned. \u201cMy interview question was, \u2018Why did you choose this song?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI chose to perform \u2018I\u2019m Here,\u2019 from \u2018The Color Purple,\u2019 because it\u2019s a song that is super close to my heart and one where my own experiences helped power that song emotionally,\u201d Nesbitt said.<\/p>\n
Prior to the competition show, which was held in the Minskoff Theatre, the students also auditioned for preliminary placement in either the character group or the feature group. Performers in the character group worked on five character medleys created for the show, while performers in the feature group rehearsed for a themed group number. All competitors also learned and performed in the competition\u2019s show-stopping opening and closing numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the feature group this year, we did a tribute to \u2018Chicago,\u2019 as the show\u2019s 30th anniversary is this year,\u201d Nesbitt told me. \u201cWe actually got to work with Charlotte d\u2019Amboise, who played Roxie in \u2018Chicago\u2019 for more than ten years. We also had a few monologues that we auditioned for, which was really fun. I was told that I make good choices, which I think is a good thing,\u201d she added with a laugh.<\/p>\n
During the week leading up to the show, Nesbitt described the rigorous days of learning choreography, harmonies, and all of the aspects that go into bringing a professional production to life. \u201cWe started the day working on the opening number with Luis Salgado. Then we were split into our groups, and the feature group got to work with the acting music director on Broadway for \u2018Chicago\u2019 for our medley.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were also a lot of opportunities for us to go to career talks, including a tour of Lincoln Center where we got to go on stage and learn about their production of \u2018Ragtime,\u2019 and with one of the composers for \u2018Water for Elephants,\u2019\u201d she continued. When she learned how demanding the job of being a music director is, she followed up with the \u2018Chicago\u2019 music director, leading them through the featured number to learn more.<\/p>\n
Another highlight was being in New York City during the Juneteenth celebration, and the theme that revolved around the principles of support. \u201cWe had a Juneteenth speaker panel, and they discussed how important it is to advocate for yourself and the people next to you. Being able to come into the room and know that you have value and you have the power to make yourself comfortable in a situation is so important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing these pieces of advice from industry professionals who have been performing, producing, and participating in things on Broadway for so long was invaluable,\u201d Nesbitt added.<\/p>\n
Participants connected with one of the Juneteenth events in the city, produced and performed by Suzan-Lori Parks. \u201cIt was the first one I\u2019ve been to, and it was really amazing,\u201d she said of the show. \u201cIt featured a notable playwright who has received multiple Pulitzer Prizes for her writing. She put together this performance where it was seeing how art exists within the Black experience. I\u2019m so grateful to the chaperones who were able to organize that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to a nighttime tour of the city learning about its history, the group visited Times Square where they could see their headshots lit up among the billboards for the Jimmy Awards and see \u201cMJ The Musical,\u201d Nesbitt said, \u201cBeforehand we had dinner with some of the cast members who performed after at the show that night, and after we got to do a \u2018talk back\u2019 with them at the theater. Learning about how the show was created while being able to speak with the director was such an amazing experience that, again, I\u2019m so thankful I had the opportunity to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nesbitt also earned recognition as one of the \u201cShowstopper\u201d awardees for individual artistic excellence in the group performance. The Jimmy Awards were performed in front of a live audience at Minskoff with about 1,500 people, and were livestreamed with over 100,000 viewers tuning in live (theater legends included).<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to see my name that big on a Broadway stage, and my friend sending me a screenshot of the livestream [when my name was announced for that award]? The whole experience has been so surreal. Mostly I just remember doing this little happy dance\/run up there,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving such a supportive environment where yes, it was a competition, but it didn\u2019t feel like a competition is what made it such an awesome experience. It was new friends coming together and creating a show.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I think all theater, really, is a collaborative effort. If not between an ensemble, between the actors and the tech team, or the actors and the director\u2026there\u2019s always a team behind it. So it was a great place to realize how much of a team we are, as creatives, and how important it is to lift each other up and make sure everyone is okay and thriving. That\u2019s what makes a good show.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say the main thing that I\u2019ve taken away from the Jimmy Awards is that your attitude is so important, no matter what\u2019s happening,\u201d she added. \u201cComing into the room with respect and humility is so important, as is coming in with an open mind and wanting to learn from everyone, and I mean everyone. I think that we need to go into spaces with that thirst to learn more often, no matter how old we are. And I hope to keep that perspective because there\u2019s always something you can learn; you just have to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nesbitt has kept in touch with many of the friends she\u2019s made through these experiences. \u201cWe were told by a lot of people that these are the people we would be working with for the rest of our lives, and I am so thankful for that because these people are so cool, so awesome, and so talented \u2013 but also really kind.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Nesbitt won the Broadway San Diego Best Actress Award, she also received automatic admission to San Diego State University\u2019s Theater Bachelor of Arts program. \u201cI was already planning on going to SDSU anyway for their Hospitality and Tourism Management program,\u201d she added. \u201cNow I\u2019m excited to pursue a double major and keep musical theater as a part of my life and something that brings me joy.\u201d She\u2019s also considering how the two majors may overlap, and was inspired by one of her fellow Jimmy Awards participants to consider a possible cruise study abroad or internship experience to perform and be a staff member, with the added bonus of traveling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to work in a musical theater space, if that turns into a career for me, especially in San Diego because there are so many amazing opportunities for that,\u201d Nesbitt told me. \u201cAnd I want to thank all of the CoSA teachers and everyone in Coronado who has been in my corner. Especially David McBean for always being a listening ear and such a kind person to work with and Kimberly Stassburger, who\u2019s been an amazing teacher. And really to everyone in the community that has been cheering me on for so long, I\u2019m so thankful for that support.\u201d<\/p>\n
VOL. 116, NO. 28 – July 15, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Recent Coronado High School and Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) graduate Addison Nesbitt was one of two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401845,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[3211,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-401844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-coronado_island_news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}