Tony Award ® & Emmy Award ® Winner
NATHAN LANE with
Tony Award ® Nominee
CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT & BEN AHLERS Host
The 2026 SHUBERT FOUNDATION
High School Theatre Festival
Guest Broadway Presenters Included
Isa Antonetti, Treshelle Edmond, Thayne Jasperson, Francis Jue, Aimé Donna Kelly, Tom Kitt, Da’Von Moody, N’Kenge, Liz Pearce, Caesar Samayoa, Abel Santiago
(New York, NY) – In its 12th year, more than 200 talented young NYC public school theatre artists gathered at Broadway’s Schoenfeld Theatre to make their Broadway debuts at The 2026 Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival for NYC Public Schools on Monday, May 4. Hosted by Tony Award ® and Emmy Award ® winner Nathan Lane, with Death of a Salesman co-stars and Tony Award ® nominee Christopher Abbott and Ben Ahlers, this annual theatre education experience for NYC students is presented by The Shubert Foundation and the NYC Public Schools Arts Office.
They were 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 each 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 performed 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 included performances by students who placed first and second in the NYC Shakespeare Competition. They performed 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.
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.
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