Nathan Hiykel, a 2021 Blair High School graduate, was named Best Actor for the 2021 Nebraska High School Theater Academy (NHSTA) awards, which are presented by the Omaha Performing Arts.
Hiykel and Burke High School graduate Audrey Saucier were named the top two performers in the state and ere honored at the NHSTA Showcase on Monday.
Hiykel and Sacier will represent Nebraska at the Broadway League's National High School Musical Theatre Awards, known as the Jimmy Awards, in an online performance July 15. They will join 70 students from 35 regions across the U.S. in a week of online coaching with Broadway artists and industry experts. The students will compete for top performance awards along with 20 additional awards and scholarships.
Hiykel has been heavily involved in the arts — frequently placing in speech, acting as a dance captain in show choir, serving as drama club president and participating in more than 10 theater productions within and outside of BHS. In April, he portrayed Curly McClain in the BHS production of “Oklahoma!”
He has been a volunteer for the Blair Public Library and Technology Center and a summer volunteer at Belvedere Elementary School in Omaha.
Hiykel plans to attend Northwestern University to dual degree in biomedical engineering and theater. His ultimate goal is to spend time as an actor and to gain a career in biomechanics.
