Curtain rises on national musical theatre winner at Wright State

The summer before she enrolled at Wright State, Gretchen Shope, a first-year musical theatre major, won the prestigious 2024 Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress, an award commonly referred to as the Tony for teens. (Photo by Erin Pence)

Several Wright State University graduates have won Tony Awards, recognizing excellence in Broadway theater. Not as widely known is an award commonly referred to as the Tony for teens. It’s the Jimmy Awards, which are presented each year to the top high school theatre performers nationally.

This year, for the first time, a Wright State student has won a Jimmy Award — Gretchen Shope, who after receiving the honor had attractive opportunities to back out of becoming a Raider.

But she forged ahead as a first-year musical theatre major because she felt Wright State was the right school at the right time for her — a move that speaks to her drive, ambition and character.

Shope is from the small town of Midland, Michigan, with a population of about 45,000. Even there, news of Wright State’s high-quality creative arts programs reached her through the theatre community.

“I knew quite a few people who attended Wright State for theatre,” Shope said, “and I valued their opinion.”

As a high schooler, she attended the summer Interlochen Center for the Arts, at the other end of Michigan from her home, where Wright State alumni suggested she learn more about the university’s theatre program.

What she was looking for was something more than a theatre school.

“Not just a conservatory prioritizing one aspect,” Shope said, “but a place for an arts and academic education. I was a math kid, a history kid. Academics are important to me. I didn’t want to give that up.”

She said, “Wright State was listed as being a place where you can be a double major or have options to add minors. Where you can be academically multifaceted.”

After she was accepted into Wright State’s theatre program came the Jimmy Awards adventure.

She was among 102 high school musical theatre students nationally to earn the privilege of going to New York City for the final round of auditions and competition.

“We were shipped off for 10 days at Julliard,” Shope said. “It was the most stressful yet joyous roller coaster for 10 days.”

When her name was called on stage on June 24 as winning the 2024 Jimmy for Best Performance by an Actress, her world opened up to other academic and professional possibilities.

“I didn’t dismiss those thoughts and comments,” she said. “I took a hard look and weighed the pros and cons.”

She stayed with Wright State.

“Everything I want is here. It’s so loving and people here see me as an individual,” she said. “I didn’t want to give that up to have Julliard [or any other high-profile institution] on a resume.”

It was a choice not lost on Greg Hellems, head of musical theater at Wright State who had interviewed her earlier.

“What I recognized was that with all of those choices in mind, a high school student easily would be charmed and attracted by those shiny things,” Hellems said. “But she prioritizes education, and part of a successful career is a strong foundation.”

Hellems said Shope is the first Jimmy winner to enroll at Wright State.

“But for the winner of a national award, she doesn’t act like it,” he said. “She’s humble by any standard. That speaks to the quality of her character.”

That doesn’t mean she’s shy.

“She’s a go-getter. People who are the strongest and most focused and most generous of spirit are the people who encourage others to rise to the challenge,” Hellems said of Shope. “We have graduated other students who are like that, but even in the first week I found she’s like that.”

Shope had quite a first week at Wright State, getting acclimated to her course load of ballet, jazz, acting, personal voice lessons, movement, speech and theatre in Western cultures — and taking an English class that is not required but was one she wanted.

“What I’m really excited about is to be surrounded by other people who have a passion for this,” Shope said. “Being from a small town, I had to collaborate with others. What I love is that everyone here is so talented and has so much love for the craft that collaboration is innate. I can’t wait to tap into that as the year goes on.”

Aside from life at Wright State, Shope looks forward to singing the National Anthem at Ford Field before the Detroit Lions host the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 27. It is an honor that came about from Michigan recognizing her as the state’s only Jimmy Award winner.