Jonathan Bailey, Helen J. Shen, & More Featured in the 2025 Time100 Next List

Time has just released its Time100 Next list for 2025, which features rising artists, leaders, advocates, innovators, and phenoms. Several theater stars are included on the latest list, including Wicked star Jonathan Bailey, Maybe Happy Ending star Helen J. Shen, and two-time Tony Award winner Kara Young.

For each rising star, a colleague in their same field writes a commentary for the person receiving the honor. For Bailey, his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande penned the tribute, recalling the first time she met him during a rehearsal for Wicked. "I was nervous because I have always found him so brilliant—having bookmarked and memorized a few bootleg clips of him onstage in Company and The Last Five Years—but from the moment we met, I felt like I was giggling with someone I had known for 20 years. I felt so immediately safe, connected to, and obsessed with my new scene partner and friend," said Grande.

Sara Bareilles wrote the tribute to Helen J. Shen, calling the Maybe Happy Ending Star "mighty beyond her years" and adding, "I am honored to be able to watch what blooms from this extraordinary soul as she continues to push boundaries in herself and others, with heart and humility." In his tribute to Kara Young, Leslie Odom Jr. praised his Purlie Victorious co-star, saying, "She bestows the gift of her spirit on the New York theater scene. The scene repays her in standing ovations and hardware."

Other Broadway names include actor Tramell Tillman with a tribute by Colman Domingo, playwright Sanaz Toosi with a tribute by Lynn Nottage, and Hadestown star Lola Tung with a tribute by Jenny Han. Check out the full list of stars here.