20th annual Shubert Foundation & Music Theater International Broadway Junior Student Celebration

The 20th annual final of the Shubert Foundation & Music Theater International Broadway Junior Student took place on Thursday, May 22nd, 2025 in Broadway's Ambassador Theater (219 West 49th Street), which was organized by Nicholas Matos (Smash) and Aline Mayagoitia (real women). Take a look at photos and videos of the event!

The Shubert Foundation / MTI Broadway Junior Partnership is a groundbreaking music theater -mentoring program with which public schools influence school culture changes through the establishment of sustainable theater training programs. Hundreds of participating students shared music numbers from their fully produced school shows in the final. For many, this was their first music theater experience that appeared on Broadway.

Pupils of the public school in New York City from Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan and Queens carried out figures from their full school productions from Broadway musicals. The shows included Disney's Aladdin Jr., Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr., Annie Jr., Disney's High School Musical Jr., Disney's The Lion King Jr.

The program is sponsored by the Shubert Foundation, Music Theater International (MTI) and New York City Public Schools (NYCPS). At Broadway Junior® Student Finale, Diana Phillips, President of the Shubert Foundation, President and CEO of the Music Theater International Drew Cohen, representative of the NYC Public Schools Arts Office, prominent NYC Arts educators and leading members of the New York Professional Theater Community.

“The Shubert Foundation and the MTI Broadway Junior Partnership with our art office is an example of how the arts can enable our students both in the classroom and on the big stage,” said Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos in the schools. “We deeply appreciate this commitment, which offers our young people unforgettable experiences that have a lasting impact on their artistic trips.”

“Every year our middle school students shed light on a Shubert stage with their appearances and raise all of us with their exuberance and inspiring spirit,” said Diana Phillips, President of the Shubert Foundation. “More than 30,000 students have benefited from this program in the past 20 years, and it is a privilege for us to enable these formative and unforgettable experiences.”

“Music Theater International has been honored with the Shubert Foundation and the NYC Public Schools for 20 years to bring students in the city the transformative power of the music theater,” said Drew Cohen, President and CEO of Music Theater International. “As we celebrate this milestone, we remain inspired by the creativity, determination and joy that bring these young artists on stage. Theater promotes the collaboration, empathy, perseverance and self -confidence -, the students serve far beyond the foot brand.

“Young people navigate in a rapidly changing world today. The theater in our schools offers space and time to process events socially and emotionally, to explore large issues safely and creatively with their colleagues in the classes, the rehearsals and on all stages of life, said NYCPS director of Theater, Peter A,” We are lucky that we are with the. An international musical theater to deal with the.

The Shubert Foundation / MTI Broadway Junior® program hires the students in all aspects and areas of the arts and uses master teachers and expert production bidders of the educational organizations, Ithhestry, Broadway Bound Kids and Artsconnection.

In the first year of the program, teachers and students are led step by step through the process of making a first musical in their schools. In the second year, teachers and students continue to receive support and encouragement for their second musical, but take over the possession of their productions. In the third year and beyond, schools present a musical independent and serve as inspiration for other schools that are involved in previous program cycles.

The 2025 Broadway Junior® student finale presented performances by middle school groups that took part in the second year of the program: