Leslie Odom Jr. and Denée Benton Will Present at Harlem School of the Arts Curtains Up Gala

The Harlem School of the Arts will host its annual gala, Curtains Up: HSA Celebrates Broadway, on Friday, May 8, 2026 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, 141 West 54th Street, New York, NY. The evening will celebrate the intersection of artistic excellence and community investment, honoring six extraordinary individuals whose careers exemplify what becomes possible when talent meets opportunity.

The 2026 Curtains Up Gala arrives at a pivotal moment for arts education in America. As access to rigorous arts training continues to shrink — particularly for Black and Brown youth — HSA stands as a rare 62-year-old institution where world-class instruction, financial aid, and youth development coexist. Founded in 1964 by soprano Dorothy Maynor, HSA has spent more than six decades preparing young artists not only for careers in the arts, but for leadership, entrepreneurship, and impact across industries. The gala is the institution's primary annual fundraiser, raising critical funds to sustain and expand that work.

"Broadway is the symbol. HSA is the starting point," said James C. Horton, President & CEO of HSA. "Every student who walks through our doors carries the talent. What this gala funds is everything else — the training, the mentorship, the financial aid, the infrastructure that turns potential into opportunity, that can become a profession. That is what Curtains Up is about."

HONOREES

Jeffrey Seller
Producer of Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and Hamilton
Jeffrey Seller is among the most transformative producers in the history of American theater. His productions — Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and Hamilton — have not only defined eras of Broadway, but have fundamentally changed what stories the stage is willing to tell and whose voices deserve to be heard. His body of work is a sustained argument for the power of diverse narratives, rigorous craft, and the belief that theater can change culture. That argument begins in classrooms like those at HSA.

Vanessa Bell Calloway
Award-Winning Actress, Director & Producer
One of the most versatile and enduring talents in American entertainment, Vanessa Bell Calloway's career spans more than four decades — beginning right out of college and never stopping. A three-time Broadway performer, she made her debut in Bring Back Birdie before earning her place in theater history as a cast member of the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls. She most recently completed a six-month run in the Tony Award-nominated production Purlie Victorious at The Music Box Theater, and can currently be seen in the Netflix series "The Vince Staples Show." The recipient of eight NAACP Image Award nominations and winner of the NAACP Theater Award for Best Actress, Calloway began her artistic journey at Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio — one of the oldest African American theater institutions in the country — a lineage that mirrors HSA's own commitment to developing artists from the ground up.

Robyn Coles & Dr. N. Anthony Coles
Tony Award-Winning Producer & Philanthropist | Global Healthcare Leader, Biotechnology Executive & Philanthropist
As Founder of TRATE Productions, Robyn Coles has helped bring Tony Award-winning work to Broadway's most celebrated stages. As Chair and CEO of TRATE Enterprises, Dr. N. Anthony Coles guides strategic investments that drive innovation and long-term impact across industries. Together, they represent the kind of leadership and capital stewardship that opens doors for future generations — a mission they share with HSA.

Anjelica Kelly Watson & John H. Watson III
Managing Director, Firm Strategy and Execution, Morgan Stanley | Senior Managing Director, Tactical Opportunities, Blackstone
Anjelica Kelly Watson has spent more than a decade at Morgan Stanley, rising to Managing Director of Firm Strategy and Execution — most recently following her tenure as Chief of Staff to former Chairman and CEO James Gorman. She has built her career around one core belief: Great institutions require great systems behind them. John Watson III is a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone's Tactical Opportunities Group, where his investment portfolio includes OpenAI, CoreWeave, and Anthropic — the companies defining the next era of human possibility. Together, they embody the belief that talent alone is not enough — that the infrastructure surrounding it determines whether it thrives.

PRESENTERS 

Confirmed presenters include Tony Award-nominated actress Denée Benton (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812; HBO's "The Gilded Age") who will introduce Vanessa Bell Calloway. Morgan Stanley's Managing Director, Institutional Equity Sales & Trading, George Van Amson, will introduce Anjelica and John Watson III, and Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor, singer, and producer Leslie Odom, Jr. will introduce Jeffrey Seller.

HONORARY COMMITTEE

HSA's 2026 Curtains Up Gala is proud to be supported by an Honorary Committee that includes acclaimed actress and activist LaTanya Richardson Jackson and her husband, Academy Award-winning actor and producer Samuel L. Jackson; attorney, broadcaster, and advocate Star Jones; and Academy Award-winning actor and director Denzel Washington and his wife, actress and philanthropist Pauletta Washington.

AFTER-PARTY