Nic Dantes (9) has been nominated for best Actor in a Principal Role for the Jeff Awards. Dantes, along with Director Rachel Rockwell and co-star Susie McMonagle, have been nominated for their work in the musical production by Drury Lane Production of Billy Elliot.

“In eighth grade, my agent, [called me] and said, ‘Here’s Billy Elliot, you want to audition?’ And we said yes,” said Dantes.

The Jeff Awards are awards given to those in Chicago theatre that have shown outstanding achievement, in more than one area of theater. “Every year, the Jeff committee, go see all the shows that professional Chicago [theaters have] to offer and if all of them agree on one aspect of the show, whether it be setting, one specific actor, or a director, they recommend it,” explained Dantes.

“The Jeff Awards are kind of like the Chicago Tony awards,” said Nic Dantes. The Tony’s are awards that recognize achievement in live Broadway theatre.

“He wasn’t a theater kid,” said Dantes’ mom, Diane Dantes, the VHHS school nurse. “He did one show in sixth grade. He was in the ensemble at the middle school, but other than that, he wasn’t into it.”

Dantes explains that his older sister, Lindsey, got him interested in doing theater. “I [was] always so inspired by her, and I loved going to see her shows.”

When Dantes found out that he had been nominated for the Jeff Awards, he was very surprised he even got nominated. “I went in and thought I did really bad, but I guess not,” said Dantes.

When they found out, Mrs. Dantes was sitting at work and Nic was in geography taking a test; Mrs. Dantes said, “..my phone was going nuts. I was honestly scared that somebody was hurt or something bad has happened because it was going crazy.”

“Someone had texted me saying, ‘The nominations are up. Check the website.’ And then I saw the [was nominated] and I was real happy with that. The musical had been nominated for a Jeff, and the director and choreographer, but I stopped there, and it was Nurse Ronnie that said, ‘Stop, scroll down,’ and it was her that saw Nic’s name.”

Both Dantes and his mom were, “shocked and overwhelmed and very surprised,” said Dantes when he found out that he had been nominated for a Jeff Award. Both assumed that he was too young to even be nominated.

The Jeff Award winners will be announced October 5th.