THE SHUBERT FOUNDATION PRESENTS THE
12th Anniversary
HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE FESTIVAL
FOR NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Hosted By Tony Award ® & Emmy Award ® Winner
NATHAN LANE
with Christopher Abbott & Ben Ahlers
(New York, NY) – In its 12th year, more than 200 talented young NYC public school theatre artists will make their Broadway debuts in The 2026 Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival for NYC Public Schools on Monday, May 4 at 7:30pm at the Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th). This annual theatre education experience for NYC students is presented by The Shubert Foundation and the NYC Public Schools Arts Office.
Tony Award ® and Emmy Award ® winner Nathan Lane, with Death of a Salesman co-stars Christopher Abbott and Ben Ahlers, will host this year’s 12th annual event. They will be joined by additional guest presenters, including Isa Antonetti (Buena Vista Social Club), Treshelle Edmond (Spring Awakening), Thayne Jasperson (Hamilton), Francis Jue (Yellowface), Aimé Donna Kelly, (Law & Order: SVU), Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), Da’Von Moody (Buena Vista Social Club), N’Kenge (Motown: the Musical), Liz Pearce (Masquerade) Caesar Samayoa (Just in Time) and Abel Santiago (Julliard & Shubert Festival Alumni).
The Festival celebrates five outstanding high school student productions from the 2025-26 school year, selected from more than 30 plays and musicals across the city by professional theatre artists and theatre educators. Over the course of the Festival’s 12-year history, school productions from all five boroughs have performed at the event.
This year, student presentations from the following schools will perform excerpted scenes and musical numbers in order as follows:
CHICAGO – Susan E. Wagner High School (Staten Island)
COME FROM AWAY – Professional Performing Arts High School (Manhattan)
IN TRANSIT – Brooklyn High School of the Arts (Brooklyn)
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS – Academy for College Preparation & Career Exploration (Brooklyn)
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL – Martin Luther King, Jr. Educational Campus Collaboration (Manhattan)
A new addition to the program this year includes performances by students who placed first and second in the NYC Shakespeare Competition. They will perform their winning monologues, followed by a scene from Romeo & Juliet:
Madison Martinez – Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts (Manhattan)
Kriston Hall – Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts (Manhattan)
The 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.
“The arts play an essential role in every student’s learning and well-being. Events such as The Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival provide a unique professional Broadway setting for our students to shine, supporting their creativity and confidence," said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. "My Arts Office colleagues and I deeply appreciate the Shubert Foundation for their continued partnership, support, and commitment to how theatre education enriches the lives of our students and their communities.”
“This is now the 12th year that The Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival will be showcasing the stellar theatre programs of NYC’s public schools on a Broadway stage and we continue to be amazed by the talent and effort of the students and their teachers,” said Diana Phillips, President of The Shubert Foundation. “They have already impressed their school communities and now, on the evening of May 4th, their stage becomes even bigger, their audience even wider. We couldn’t be more proud to see them take their Broadway bows.”
Sponsored by The Shubert Foundation, The Festival is presented in partnership with the New York City Public Schools’ (NYCPS) Arts Office. A 2025-26 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 $10 million to the New York City Department of Education for Theatre and arts education programs.
NYC Public Schools supports the arts aspirations of all NYCPS students by supporting principals, building teachers’ knowledge and capacity, and direct student programming. The Festival highlights the impact of a dedicated theatre education by showcasing student theatre work on a Broadway stage.
"When students explore theatre together and celebrate each other’s creativity, they demonstrate the highest levels of education—applying technique, socio-emotional application, understanding the context of the play and communicating with others towards a common goal," said Peter Avery, the Festival's Artistic Producer and the Director of Theatre for New York City Public Schools Arts Office.
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 2025, the Foundation provided $42 million to 672 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 $725 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 a testament to the history and impact of urban education in the United States. With over 1,600 schools spread across five boroughs, the system is made up of approximately 1.1 million students and staff, making it the largest public school system in the nation. These schools employ more than 75,000 teachers, who deliver a rich tapestry of educational experiences to a student body that reflects the city’s vibrant and diverse cultural heritage. This network of educational institutions represents not just the scale of New York City’s commitment to public education, but also its dedication to fostering a learning environment that is as dynamic and diverse as the city itself.
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