McEvoy nominated as best supporting actor
in a musical.

Thirteen-year-old Jimmy McEvoy said he's always looking for an acting role "where I have a chance to steal the show." Last year, he got his chance in a role in the musical, "Les Miserables."

For his acting and singing as the street urchin, Gavroche, Jimmy received one of the nominations for best actor in a musical in the 2007 Kevin Kline Awards competition.

Jimmy McEvoy

The awards ceremony will be held Monday, March 31, at 7 p.m. It will be at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts on the Webster University campus.

This is the 3rd annual awards ceremony named in honor of the St. Louis-born Oscar award winner, Kevin Kline.

(For a complete list of nominees for outstanding play, musical, director and actors, visit www.kevinklineawards.org.)

The Kline awards represent the highest awards given to actors in performances in St. Louis-area theaters.

About his "Les Miserables" role, Jimmy said, "It was the best part I've ever had. It was a big part and I was in a death scene."

Jimmy in his costume for "Les Miserable"

He's one of five local actors nominated for best supporting actor in a musical. Among the others is longtime performer Ken Page. The veteran actor also was nominated for his acting and singing in "Les Miserables."

"It's an honor to be in the same (nomination) point-range with Mr Page and the other nominees," Jimmy said. He said, "I was shocked but it was pretty cool."

Jimmy noted that Mr. Page was in high school with his father years ago.

Asked about his chances of winning the award, Jimmy said, "I think I have a pretty good chance."

This is the second year in a row that a kid actor has gotten a nomination in the best actor in a musical category. Last year, P.J. Palmer, then also 13, got his best supporting actor nomination for his part in "The King and I."

He had the part of Louis, the son of the woman who served as teacher for the King of Siam. The late Deborah Kerr and the late Yul Brynner were the lead actors in the movie version of "The King and I."

Jimmy McEvoy started acting when he was seven years old. His first acting was as a second grader at his St. Gabriel the Archangel School in the play "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat."

Almost all of his roles have been in musicals.

He has been taking voice lessons from Nancy St. James of Webster Groves. Ms. St. James has been Jimmy's voice teacher for about 5 years.

He's also trained in dance, acting, musical theatre and acrobatics.

Jimmy has a 30-minute voice lesson once a week and then practices at home nearly every day. He said Ms. St. James records his lessons and then sends the tape home so he knows what to practice.

He has sung in musicals at such venues as Repretory Theatre of St. Louis, Stages St. Louis, Opera Theatre of St. Louis as well as at the Fox Theatre and the Missouri History Museum.

At the History Museum, he was the principal boy lead in "Trolley of De Baliviere" and "Gaslight Square."

He danced in the 2005 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. He is signed with the Talent Plus agency in St. Louis and has done commercials and voice-overs for pay.

Jimmy is looking forward to moving to CBC High School next year. He's already acted in a number of performances there. He said the school has a "very good" acting program, under the direction of drama teacher Tom Murray.

He said about the only thing that gets him nervous when acting is when he has to do a quick change of costumes during a play. He said his quickest costume change was 44 seconds.

"I get nervous but I always make it," he said.

Jimmy said he wants to be an actor on Broadway when he grows up.

But, next on his schedule of auditions is for the The Muny Kids program later this month. The Muny Kids fill the young-actor roles in the upcoming Muny season. The kids also help promote the season with appearances around town.