Local theater teachers earn top honor
Two Central Florida teachers have won the top educator honor at the Jimmys, a national high-school awards program presented each year.
Janine Papin of Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park and Nadine Love of Orlando’s Boone High will receive the 2018 Inspiring Teacher Award at the ceremony at New York’s Minskoff Theatre on June 25.
Their honor continues a Central Florida winning streak. Last year’s top actress award was presented to Sofia Deler, a student of Love’s, and the top actor award went to Tony Moreno, a student of Papin’s.
The teachers’ work with their award-winning students was a key factor behind their own honors.
“A remarkable teacher has the ability to nurture potential into greatness,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, which presents the awards. “These two outstanding educators guided and inspired their students to win the Jimmy Awards last year, and we praise their dedication to encouraging a lifelong appreciation of the arts.”
Love has taught nearly a decade. She and her students earned best production two years running at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, for “Collected Stories” and “The Children’s Hour.” They were invited to perform “Songs for a New World” at the Florida State Thespian Festival. She has a master’s degree in theater education from the University of Northern Colorado and a bachelor’s in design and technology from Florida State.
Papin regularly performs with local theaters, including Mad Cow in downtown Orlando. She is department chair of Trinity Prep’s theater program and a 2006 winner of the H. Benton Ellis Award for excellence in teaching. In 2015, she was awarded a fellowship to study at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. She has taken her students to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The Jimmys are in their 10th year of honoring top performers in the art of musical theater. More than 1,500 high schools and 100,000 students participate in the program’s competitions. Winners are selected by a panel of industry experts.
Officially designated the National High School Musical Theatre Awards Program, the awards are nicknamed “Jimmy” in honor of legendary Broadway producer and theater owner James Nederlander.