Congratulations to our outstanding 2026 Nebraska Theater Academy award winners! These schools and students will be honored at the Nebraska Theater Academy Showcase on May 31, 2026, at the Orpheum Theater.
Broadway performer Elizabeth Earley (Something Rotten!; Hello, Dolly!) will host the Showcase, featuring more than 85 schools statewide. More than 500 students will perform throughout the evening. Awards will be given for outstanding productions, top performers and ensembles, educators, excellence behind-the-scenes, and more. Celebrating its 13th year, the Tony Awards® inspired celebration is open to the public, and tickets are on sale now.
During the Showcase, two students chosen from 14 finalists from across the state will be announced to represent Nebraska at the Broadway League Foundation’s National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, known as The Jimmy Awards®, in a performance held Monday, June 22, at the Minskoff Theatre in New York. The two nominees from Nebraska will join 114 other students from across the United States for a week of coaching with Broadway artists and industry experts. The students compete for top performance awards, along with additional awards and scholarships.
The opening number at the Showcase will be a Wicked medley featuring students and special guest Natalia Vivino, a former Elphaba Standby on the national tour of Wicked and a 2013 Jimmy Awards nominee. Vivino will also lead master classes with students throughout the week. Omaha native and Broadway star Q. Smith (Come From Away, The Hills of California, Mary Poppins) will work with the students as well. New this year, the 14 finalists will have the opportunity to perform for a casting agent from New York prior to the Showcase.
The Nebraska Theater Academy celebrates the power of the arts and supports high school and middle school theater programs by connecting teachers and students to learning opportunities with Broadway stars and theater and backstage professionals. Students also receive professional feedback on school performances and additional performance opportunities. The Nebraska Theater Academy began in 2013 with 22 Omaha-area schools and now reaches more than 8,500 students across Nebraska each year.
2025/2026 AWARD WINNERS
Outstanding Musical Theater Production
Grand Island Northwest High School, The Addams Family Musical
Gretna High School, Seussical
Hastings High School, Little Shop of Horrors
Lincoln Southwest High School, Shrek The Musical
Millard West High School, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Millard South High School, Anything Goes
Papillion-La Vista Senior High School, Disney’s Newsies
Papillion-La Vista South High School, Curtains
Platteview High School, Grease: School Version
Westside High School, The Drowsy Chaperone
Columbus Middle School, Disney’s Newsies JR.
Russell Middle School, Hadestown: Teen Edition
Outstanding Ensemble
Auburn High School, Little Women
Central City High School, Cameron Mackintosh and Disney’s Mary Poppins
Elkhorn North High School, Monty Python’s Spamalot: School Edition
Elkhorn South High School, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
Fremont High School, Les Misérables School Edition
Grand Island Senior High School, Shrek The Musical
Lincoln High School, The Prom
Millard North High School, The Addams Family Musical
Omaha Central High School, Once Upon a Mattress
Omaha South High School, Big Fish: School Edition
Concordia Middle School, Anything Goes: Youth Edition
Millard North Middle School, Legally Blonde The Musical JR.
Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role
Addison Knust, Millard West High School – Sonya from Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Allie Works, Lincoln High School – Emma Nolan from The Prom
Alondra Ramos Figueroa, Grand Island Northwest High School – Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family Musical
Cade Dill, Platteview High School – Doody from Grease: School Version
Carter Pflug, Westside High School – Robert Martin from The Drowsy Chaperone
Cassatt Cordaro, Millard West High School – Anatole from Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Charlotte Fox, Millard West High School – Natasha from Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Favor Kouassi, Papillion-La Vista Senior High School – Medda Larkin from Disney’s Newsies
Harmonie Berg, Westside High School – Drowsy Chaperone from The Drowsy Chaperone
Joseph Roberts, Lourdes Central Catholic High School – Lord Evelyn Oakleigh from Anything Goes
Joshua Carl, Lincoln Southwest High School – Shrek from Shrek The Musical
Lauren Watson, Millard South High School – Reno Sweeny from Anything Goes
Molly Cline, Grand Island Northwest High School – Alice Beineke from The Addams Family Musical
Myles Hardt, Lincoln East High School – Crutchie from Disney’s Newsies
Rebecca Roberts, Gretna High School – Gertrude Mcfuzz from Seussical
Ryan McConachie, Millard South High School – Billy Crocker from Anything Goes
Ryan Ostrander, Lincoln High School – Barry Glickman from The Prom
Sophia Sweeney, Elkhorn North High School – The Lady of the Lake from Monty Python’s Spamalot: School Edition
Tatum Nelson, Wahoo High School – Dmitry from Anastasia: The Musical
Thaddaeus Dodd, Platteview High School – Danny Zuko from Grease: School Version
Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role
Addie Hayman, Grand Island Northwest High School – Grandma from The Addams Family
Alexis Neufind, Concordia High School – Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz
Brooklyn Porter, Gretna East High School – Mayor Matilda Hyde from All Shook Up
Chase Wagner, Fremont High School – Gavroche from Les Misérables School Edition
Cooper Lange, Kearney High School – Oaken from Disney’s Frozen
Dane Bloes, Papillion-La Vista Senior High School – Finch from Disney’s Newsies
Dav Lee, Omaha Northwest High School – Jenny Hill from Big Fish: Small Cast Edition
Eleni Moustakes, Platteview High School – Frenchy from Grease: School Version
Ezekiel Verhage, Hastings High School – Orin Scrivello from Little Shop of Horrors
Katie Kilroy, Omaha Westview High School – Brooke Wyndam from Legally Blonde The Musical
Lukas Musil, Central City High School – Michael Banks from Cameron Mackintosh and Disney’s Mary Poppins
Maecie Pfeil, Hastings High School – Mrs. Mushnik from Little Shop of Horrors
Mathew Yechout, Bellevue West High School – Max Detweiler from The Sound of Music
Natalia Martinez, Millard North High School – Pugsley Addams from The Addams Family Musical
Nicolas Abagge, Elkhorn South High School – Bruce from Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
Nina Hipsher, Elkhorn North High School – The French Taunter/Laker Girl from Monty Python’s Spamalot: School Edition
Ronan Clements, Elkhorn North High School – Sir Galahad from Monty Python’s Spamalot: School Edition
Sam Rhodes, Westside High School – George from The Drowsy Chaperone
Sua Kim , Elkhorn South High School – Lavender from Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
Teddy Wiberg, Papillion-La Vista South High School – Bobby Pepper from Curtains
National Jimmy Awards Finalists
Addison Fankhauser, Auburn High School
Avery Runestad, Lincoln Southwest High School
Carter Pflug, Westside High School
Cassatt Cordaro, Millard West High School
Charlotte Fox, Millard West High School
Jack Larsen, Fremont High School
Jonathan Brandt, Kearney High School
Joshua Carl, Lincoln Southwest High School
Kolaya Wilmer, Fremont High School
Lauren Watson, Millard South High School
LilyAnn Willing, Tekamah-Herman Schools
Lily Sanow, Millard North High School
Myles Hardt, Lincoln East High School
Zachary Johannes, Lincoln East High School
Backstage Excellence Award
Wahoo High School
Millard North Middle School
Outstanding Educator Award
Barina Buresh Crosland, Arlington High School
Dane Christensen, Central City Public Schools
Senior of the Year
Avalon Morgan, Blair High School
Cade Chiles, Lincoln Northwest High School
Outstanding Achievement in Design
Adeline Naviaux, Lincoln Northwest High School – Outstanding Makeup Design
Alexander Mezger, Millard West High School – Outstanding Lighting Design
Noah Asbury, Norfolk Senior High School – Outstanding Lighting Design
Scarlett Bragg, Gibbon High School – Outstanding Lighting Design
Outstanding Achievement in Stage Management
Natalie Delaney, Millard South High School
Maya Alexander, Millard North Middle School
Outstanding Student Reporter
Lilly Prenger, Marian High School
