Isaiah Barafwala and London Mays take top honors at the 2026 Heller Awards for Young Artists on May 6 at Bass Concert Hall. Photo by Henry Huey
High School musical theatre’s biggest night, the 13th annual Heller Awards for Young Artists (HAYAs) took center stage on May 6 at Bass Concert Hall for the first time. Central Texas’s Tony Awards®-style program celebrates excellence in high school musical theatre, recognizing outstanding students, educators, and productions from across the region. This year marks an exciting new chapter as the ceremony moved to its new home at TPA, the home to Broadway in Austin.
With a record-breaking 40 schools representing 18 districts, this year’s ceremony brought together students, families, and educators to celebrate the next generation of theatre artists. Nearly 500 students showcased their talents both onstage and behind the scenes, making it a truly unforgettable evening.
Through TPA’s partnership with the Broadway League, two HAYA participants are selected each year to represent Central Texas at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards, in New York City. In addition to the awards ceremony, students participate in a ten-day professional training intensive with notable Broadway professionals. This year, London Mays of Weiss High School and Isaiah Barafwala of Rouse High School earned that honor, representing Austin on the national stage this summer.
TPA had just a few questions for London and Isaiah as they began their journey to the Jimmys!
What do you love about musical theatre?
London: I've been around music my entire life. Everyone in my family has their own connection to it. My grandpa, W.C. Clark, played blues music, and my mom did poetry, rap, and spoken word. I saw how they used music to inspire people and make them feel deep emotions. I thought, “If I could do that, it would be the coolest thing in the world.” I was introduced to musical theatre by some friends. The first time I was on stage, I saw people laughing and crying, and I was amazed by how powerful it was. I thought, “This is what I want to do with my life.” My favorite thing about musical theatre is that it gives me a personal connection to music and also allows me to inspire others. I want people to feel confident in who they are and what they do, because everyone deserves that.
Isaiah: Not only is it just one art form, but it is three combined. I grew up as a singer, performing in talent shows and choirs, but it never gave me the same feeling as musical theatre. It's such a collaborative experience—coming together with a cast and sharing something meaningful with an audience. One of my favorite memories was performing in Newsies. We were supposed to have five performances, but only got to do two. Once we learned the others were canceled, we decided to make those two shows the best they could be. When we got on stage, the audience was incredible. I felt so connected to them, like they were part of the show with us. Knowing they were invested in our performance made me feel accomplished. Looking back, it reminds me of what makes musical theatre so special: the ability to make people feel something. That's a beautiful feeling.
What is your favorite memory of performing in front of an audience?
London: I was playing Leading Player in Pippin. It was my first time doing a high school musical. At the start of Pippin, Leading Player has to peek through the curtain, do some cute little faces, and be all sassy and jazzy. I just heard everybody holding their seats, saying “Oooh” and “Ahhh,” and loving all my riffs. It made me realize this was not a hobby. This is what I want to do with my life. This is how I want to make people feel…this is how I want to feel when I am on stage.
Isaiah: It was definitely when we were doing “The World Will Know” in Newsies. On opening night, we found out that we lost three of our five performances, so we were all feeling very on edge. Once we started performing, the audience was absolutely loving it. When we got to “The World Will Know” specifically, it just felt like all of us on stage were really feeling the performance. Something about that specific song made us realize that this is really happening to us. I feel like we were also thinking about events happening in the world right now. Thinking about that and putting it into our performance really elevated it, and that is what made it so special.
What made you choose your solo song for the Jimmys Awards ceremony?
London: (“I am Changing” from Dreamgirls) I wanted a song that I can truly relate to, a song that can challenge my flaws. A major flaw that I have is not putting myself before others and not advocating for myself as much as I should. When it came to picking my song, I wanted a song about a woman fighting for something she really wants. I think that is a good reflection of me, and I wanted something that could really challenge me in that area.
Isaiah: (“Goodbye” from Catch Me If You Can) I wanted to explore the acting side of musical theatre. I grew up as a singer, and I never really had the training to be an actor. Once I started learning to incorporate that into my singing, it was really challenging at first. I chose this song because I wanted to explore that and ground myself and show what I’ve learned in the training that I’ve had.
What are you most looking forward to learning or experiencing during Jimmy’s Week?
London: I think I am most excited to make a name for myself. Among all these talented people, everybody is going to have something unique about them, so it’s going to be really hard for me to put my name out there and represent my school. That is a challenge I am excited for! I am also really excited to be Isaiah’s rock. I want to be the person that he can come to if he’s stressed. I just want to be there for him and be cool teammate. I’m just really excited to experience this whole thing with him.
Isaiah: Literally everything! There are students from all across the country that will get together to do what we love. I’d love to perform, grow, and get a new perspective on this artform we didn’t have before. I’m very excited to even perform on Broadway, that’s really crazy!
Support for Austin’s participation in the Jimmy Awards and the HAYAs is provided by H-E-B and H-E-B Tournament of Champions, the Heller Awards for Young Artists Endowment, the Marcia L. Nelson Endowment for High School Musical Theater Awards, and the Heller Awards for Young Artists Executive Producers: Andrew and Mary Ann Heller, the Cipione Family Foundation, Bettye Nowlin, Heather Petkovsek, Marc and Carolyn Seriff, and an anonymous donor.
Want to learn how you can support the Jimmy Awards through TPA? Contact our Development Office at 512.471.1195 or support@texasperformingarts.org.
London and Isaiah arrive in NYC for the 2026 Jimmy Awards on June 22.