High school student wins musical theater award, trip to New York City

CEDAR RAPIDS - Instead of football or baseball, musical theater has always been what Megan Ginsberg calls their 'family sport.”

So with two parents involved with musical theater, both now serve on local theater boards in addition to performing, Lincoln Ginsberg, 17, has always had an appreciation for the art. The Cedar Rapids Washington senior, who was first introduced to musical theater by attending his parents' Megan and Steve Ginsberg's rehearsals as a small child, is now an award-winning actor.

The Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards presented Lincoln with the Triple Threat Award for excellence in singing, dancing and acting at its showcase in Des Moines. Later this month, Lincoln will have the opportunity to represent Iowa at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City where he'll take classes, receive coaching from Broadway professionals and perform with other students.

'It was quite a cool experience,” Lincoln said. 'It's a good feeling. Just joy. pure joy.”

The Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards began just three years ago in an effort to recognize and support students' work in musical theater. This is the first year the organization has branched out to Eastern Iowa and has the intention of becoming a statewide organization in the next two years.

To qualify for the Triple Threat Award, Lincoln was recognized for outstanding achievement for work in leading role, his was Riff in Washington's production of West Side Story in November 2014, by Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards judges.

Lincoln, the first Triple Threat nominee from outside Central Iowa, was then invited to a weekend in Des Moines where he worked with professionals and auditioned for the Triple Threat Award. He performed at the showcase with the other finalists before finding out he and another student were chosen for the award.

'My hands were hurting, I was clapping so hard but no sound would come out of my mouth,” Megan said. 'To watch your kid do something that you really had nothing to do with, that's neat. It was all him.”

Lincoln said that although he does want to go into showbuisness he said still has not decided if he wants to go into musical theater. Lincoln said he also has interest in becoming a musician or opera singer but said his goal for the trip is to make connections in the musical theater industry.

Karoline Myers, the education manager at Des Moines Performing Arts, the organization that puts on the Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards, said the trip to New York City can be help students learn about the industry and whether it's a career path they may want to take.

'It can be a really transformative experience for that week,” Myers said. 'it's a great testing round for when you're pursuing a dream that big.”

Once he returns from the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, Lincoln said he will continue singing and acting at school. He plans to participate in Washington's fall play 'Rumors” along with show choir and jazz choir while deciding what to do after high school.

'He's already a success because he's learned to listen to his instincts and follow those things that make him happy and that come easily to him,” Megan said. 'but while they come easily to him, he's somebody who's never 100 percent satisfied. He always wants to be better.”