Tyler Legacy student takes home Broadway Dallas ‘Outstanding Lead Performer Award’

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - 16-year-old Fabiola Quijada is a student at Tyler Legacy High School, and this past weekend she was awarded the Outstanding Lead Performer in the female category by the Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards.

“I heard Fab. That’s all I heard. That’s all I heard. I didn’t hear the rest of my name because I was just in utter shock. I couldn’t hear anything,” said Fabiola.

It all goes back to last October, when the Tyler Legacy Theatre program put on Hairspray the Musical. Judges from the Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards attended and nominated Fabiola for her portrayal of fictional civil rights character Motormouth Maybelle.

Fabiola said, “I think this is the first time that I’ve actually played a character that’s been, like, beyond my years, and people have told me, ‘You have played this character very well.’”

The nomination placed her in this past weekend’s regional competition, going against other north Texas students. After performing in front of the judges, she took home the award.

She is the youngest to ever win this award, and the first Tyler Legacy student to achieve this recognition.

Tyler Legacy Theatre Director Cindi Stokes said, “Fabiola is, she’s young and she has a beautiful voice, but she’s very seasoned, and she looks, she performs, she has an old soul.”

The journey does not end here. In a few weeks, Fabiola will move on to the Jimmy Awards, a national competition in New York City.

“It will change her life. Past winners, even past nominees, are often offered shows on Broadway, and they go straight to Broadway,” said Stokes.

“I don’t think it’s hit me how much of a life-changer this is. You know, I’ve kind of started to ease into it, like, ‘Oh this is big,’ but at a certain point, I’ll be like, ‘Whoa.’ It’s a journey that I’ve just barely started, so I’m excited for it,” Fabiola said.

Fabiola takes on New York City on June 18. The Jimmy Awards will be June 26 at the Minkoff Theatre.

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the Jimmy Awards) are a national celebration of outstanding student achievement, recognizing individual artistry in vocal, dance, and acting performance and elevating the importance of theatre arts education in schools. The Jimmy Awards are presented by The Broadway League Foundation.

Copyright 2023 KLTV. All rights reserved.