Joliet high school student Payton Fraser will perform on Broadway at Jimmy Awards

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Joliet West High School student Payton Fraser is preparing to perform on Broadway as she represents Illinois in a competition for the Jimmy Awards.

The Jimmy Awards feature musical theatre finalists from across the nation. They're being held on Monday, June 26. Chicago area contestants Will Gonzales and Payton Fraser will represent Illinois at the Jimmy Awards.

Fraser has won a Broadway in Chicago Illinois High School Musical Theatre Award, which means she now gets a week of training with showbiz pros and then a chance to perform on the Great White Way.

"It's an endless possibility of being able to share emotions with people and being able to share with people who've felt the same feelings as me, or the character I'm portraying," Fraser said. "It's a beautiful connection moment that only theater can provide."

Fraser is a twin, and one of Michelle and Brent Fraser's three daughters.

"As a girl dad, I think I've always seen star quality in all our daughters, but Payton has special gifts that are unique to her and it's wonderful to see her share those gifts," her father Brent said.

"She was just singing all over the place, sometimes it's time to stop, now time to stop but I can't, but I can't, and she would just sing, sing, sing," her mom Michelle said. "This sweet baby, we always said that she was silently taking over the world because she would just pop into something and you would see her light up a room."

"To see her do what she's doing and live her dream is amazing," Brent said.

Teacher Tim DeBoer knows this student has the star power to succeed.

"The real magic is that she makes a human connection with every character, she has this ability to hold the audience in the palm of her hand," he said.

"That feeling, this is my moment and I get to do what I'm good at and what I love to do and there's so much passion; all the work that goes into a performance, it's like the climax and it's great," Fraser said of being on stage. "I just want to do this for the rest of my life. I'm happiest when I'm on stage, it's so me. I feel more like myself than ever when I'm on stage, so any opportunity to perform, no matter where or when, I just want to perform for the rest of my life."