THE SHUBERT FOUNDATION PRESENTS THE
11th Anniversary
HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE FESTIVAL
FOR NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Hosted By Academy Award & Tony Award nominee
JAKE GYLLENHAAL
Guest Broadway Presenters Include
MAYA BOYD, WILL ENO, THAYNE JASPERSON, BAAYORK LEE,
LIAM PEARCE, PIGPEN THEATER CO., ZACHARY NOAH PISER,
JOHN SCOTT-RICHARDSON, SHAUN TAYLOR-CORBETT,
JESSICA VOSK, KHAILAH WILCOXON
(New York, NY) – In its 11th year, more than 200 talented young NYC public school theatre artists will make their Broadway debuts in The 2025 Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival for NYC Public Schools on Monday, March 24 at 7:30pm at the Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th). This annual theatre education experience for NYC students is presented by The Shubert Foundation and the NYC Public Schools Arts Office.
Academy Award and Tony Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Othello) will host this year’s 11th annual event. Additional guest presenters, supporting public school theatre education, will include Maya Boyd (& Juliet), Will Eno (Thom Pain), Thayne Jasperson (Hamilton), Baayork Lee (A Chorus Line), Liam Pearce (& Juliet), members of Pigpen Theater Co. (Water for Elephants), Zachary Noah Piser (Redwood), John Scott-Richardson (Between Two Knees), Shaun Taylor-Corbett (In the Heights), Jessica Vosk (Hell’s Kitchen), Khailah Wilcoxon (Redwood), and more!
The Shubert Festival celebrates five outstanding high school student productions from the 2024-25 school year, selected from more than 30 productions across the city by professional theatre artists and theatre educators. Over the course of the festival’s 11-year history, school productions from all five boroughs have performed at the event.
This year, student presentations from the following schools will present excerpted scenes and musical numbers in order as follows:
IN THE HEIGHTS – Theatre Arts Production Company High School (Bronx)
THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH – Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts (Manhattan)
NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 – Professional Performing Arts School (Manhattan)
A CHORUS LINE – Port Richmond High School (Staten Island)
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET – Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (Queens)
The Shubert High School Theatre Festival showcases the ongoing excellent theatre work currently taking place in NYC public high schools, as well as highlighting the crucial skills of theatre study for the stage and in life: collaboration, artistry, discipline, focus, literacy, student voice, self-awareness, presence, and empathy. The evening focuses on the impact that a dedicated theatre program can have on students and school communities, enabling students to see theatre and the arts as a potential career path.
"For 11 years, the Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival has given our talented students a stage to express themselves creatively," said Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. "With partners like the Shubert Foundation, our students get the exceptional opportunity to perform on Broadway--a highlight of their arts education. We deeply value the continued commitment from the Shubert Foundation that allows our students to showcase their skills and love of the arts."
“After more than 10 years, The Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival is now a beloved Broadway event and we are proud to see it shine a well deserved spotlight on New York City’s excellent theatre programs and the young actors they develop,” said Diana Phillips, President of The Shubert Foundation. “This program provides a very public platform to elevate these performances beyond the school walls and we are impressed by the consistently high level of achievement every year. It is such a tribute to the students and to their teachers.”
Sponsored by The Shubert Foundation, the Festival is presented in partnership with the New York City Public Schools’ (NYCPS) Arts Office. A 2024-25 Shubert Foundation grant of $734,000 funds the Festival and supports a range of existing theatre and arts education programs in New York City public schools. Since 2005, The Shubert Foundation has provided more than $9.3 million to the New York City Department of Education for Theatre and arts education programs.
“Our festival is a microcosm of the impact that theater has in our schools on a daily basis. When students explore theatre together and celebrate each other’s creativity, they demonstrate the highest levels of education—applying technique, understanding the context of the play and communicating with others towards a common goal. We truly appreciate the Shubert Foundation and all the Broadway artists investment in our student artists, their schools and supportive families,” said Peter Avery, the Festival's Artistic Producer and the Director of Theatre for New York City Public Schools.
The Shubert Foundation, Inc. is the largest institutional funder of theatre education programs throughout NYC public schools and the nation's largest private foundation dedicated to unrestricted funding of not-for-profit theatres, with a secondary focus on dance. In 2024, the Foundation provided totaled $40 million to 653 not-for-profit performing arts organizations across the United States. The Shubert Foundation, Inc. was established in 1945 by the legendary team of brothers, Lee and J.J. Shubert. Since 1977, more than $613 million has been awarded to not-for-profit arts organizations throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.shubertfoundation.org.
New York City Public Schools is the largest system of public schools in the United States. New York City Public Schools supports universal access to arts education through school support programs, student initiatives and the ArtsCount initiative, which tracks and reports student participation in arts education according to city and NY Standards. The Shubert High School Festival for New York City Public Schools highlights the impact of a dedicated theater education by showcasing student theatre work on a Broadway stage. For more information, visit NYCDOE Celebrate the Arts & Arts Education.
The Shubert Foundation, Inc.
Board of Directors
Robert E. Wankel, Chairman
Diana Phillips, President
Laura Forese
Wyche Fowler, Jr.
Pamela Newkirk
Richard J. Poccia
Lee J. Seidler
Stuart Subotnick
Executive Director
Vicki Reiss
Senior Program Director
Amy Dorfman Wine