Interview: Noah Colvin & Lilly Pritchard of the 2023 Triangle Rising Star Awards

On May 18th, the 2023 Triangle Rising Star Awards took place through the Durham Performing Arts Center. This regional competition brings together high school musical theater students from Central and Eastern North Carolina to perform and compete for the chance to represent the Triangle in The National High School Musical Theater (otherwise known as The Jimmy) Awards in New York City on June 26th. The national competition celebrates outstanding student performances in high school musical productions from all over the United States. Shortly after the Triangle Rising Star Awards, I had the great pleasure of interviewing both of this year's winners, Noah Colvin of Enloe High School and Lilly Pritchard of Heritage High School.

To start things off, congratulations on your victories.
Both: Thank you so much!

Going back to the beginning, how did each of you get involved with this year's Triangle Rising Star Awards?
NC: This year was a bit different. Last year we got to choose our own song and send in our own video. That's how we got chosen. This year, you had to be a part of a show and you had to be a lead role. There was a certain criteria that you had to be eligible for. If you're eligible, your teachers will nominate you. Then you'll come and you'll do the whole week's process. Then you'll compete.

LP: Insane! We can't believe it! The way we kind of got into this, just like Noah said, you had to have an eligible role and eligible musical. I was just very grateful.

As the lists of finalists in both categories were read out loud one last time before announcing the winners, what was going through your minds?
LP: I don't even remember. All I can think of is just being like, “God, if it's in your will, it's in your will.” I was just not expecting for my name to be called.

NC: I was backstage and I was getting really nervous, which I wasn't allowing myself to. I just kept saying, “God, gimme peace.” Then I started to get peace. So I just prayed for the best and whatever happened happened.

How excited are the two of you to be going to New York City next month to compete at the Jimmy Awards?
LP: It hasn't even hit me yet that that's real and that's gonna be my life. Like, I am so overly excited.

NC: I remember watching videos since I competed last year. Looking at the group awards, I kept saying, “I want to be there this year.” So to know that I'm going and to know that I'm even gonna have the experience to do an opening number on a Broadway stage is wild.

Moving forward, is musical theatre something each of you would like to pursue as a career?
LP: Absolutely! That's been the dream ever since I was younger. I'm just so grateful that God has given me this opportunity and that it could be real. I just can't even fathom.

NC: Yeah. I remember at my old church, we would do these watch night services on New Years. They would be big productions cuz at my whole church, we have a choir and like billions of dance teams and all that. Of course, singing with the choir and all that was kind of my entry into performing and singing. Then I started getting serious about it in middle school. By the time I got to high school I was like, “Yeah, I need to in some way, shape or form, I need to be on a stage making people happy and changing lives.”

Sometimes, you never know what might just come out of the Jimmy Awards. Previous contestants have gone on to perform on Broadway. A couple of them even wound up as Tony nominees such as Eva Noblezada for MISS SAIGON and HADESTOWN as well as Justin Cooley this year for KIMBERLY AKIMBO.
NC: That's insane! To know that I'll be on a Broadway stage and have the opportunity to work with professionals before I go to college is what I'm grateful for.

LP: Wow! Yeah. I'm so grateful. I'm so excited that I don't think it's truly hit me yet that I'm gonna be going to New York. Like he said, I've watched videos of people at the Jimmys a hundred times. Just always, I had an anchoring like in my spirit that this is what I was meant to do. So now it's just so surreal.

I thank each of you very much for devoting your time to this interview. It was great getting to talk to both of you.
Both: You too!

I hope the two of you break a leg at the Jimmy Awards. Win or lose, I’m sure both of you will have a great time.
Both: Thank you! We will.

The 2023 Jimmy Awards will be presented on June 26th. For more information, please visit: https://www.jimmyawards.com/