Nathan Lane, Christopher Abbott and Ben Ahlers host 2026 Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival

Two hundred New York City public school students stepped onto a Broadway stage May 4 as Nathan Lane and his Death of a Salesman co-stars Christopher Abbott and Ben Ahlers hosted the 2026 Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival at the Schoenfeld Theatre.

Presented by The Shubert Foundation and the NYC Public Schools Arts Office, the annual theatre education event gives young public school theatre artists the chance to make their Broadway debuts. This year marked the festival’s 12th edition.

The evening featured additional guest presenters from across the Broadway and television community: Isa Antonetti (Buena Vista Social Club), Treshelle Edmond (Spring Awakening), Thayne Jasperson (Hamilton), Francis Jue (Yellow Face), 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 alum).

The festival celebrated 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. Students performed scenes and musical numbers from 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), and The SpongeBob Musical (Martin Luther King, Jr.

Educational Campus Collaboration, Manhattan). Organizers described the event as an opportunity for young performers and crews to experience Broadway firsthand while showcasing work developed in their school programs.