Broadway Education Alliance Reveals Roger Rees Awards New Faces 2026 New York Honorees
Honorees were granted a total of $470,750 in scholarships awarded by AMDA; Savannah College of Art & Design and more.
The Roger Rees Awards New Faces 2026 Honorees have been revealed. On May 9th, 30 New York high school performers participated in a day-long career development intensive in midtown Manhattan that included performance coaching by experts in acting, singing and dancing, along with panel discussions. Honorees were granted a total of $470,750 in scholarships awarded by AMDA; Savannah College of Art & Design; Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts and support by New York Film Academy.
NEW FACES is a featured recognition within The Roger Rees Awards portfolio which honors students for solo performance in a single performance discipline.
The program is presented in collaboration with The Casting Society’s (CSA) leaders Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick and Stephanie Klapper, who lead a team of dozens of professional casting directors who reviewed over 150 student audition videos to select the 30 honorees. These students attended a day-long career event featuring individual performance coaching by renown subject experts Celeste Simone (vocals); Drew Wutke (music director); Maura Malloy (acting); and Karla Garcia (dance). Students also enjoyed masterclasses with college faculty members from AMDA (J. Elaine Marcos); Savannah College of Art & Design, SCAD, (Mike Evariste) and New York Film Academy (Sam Underwood). The event culminated in a discussion on careers in the theater led by Stephanie Klapper.
In addition to the possibility of winning full or partial scholarships from Roger Rees Awards-partner educational institutions, students also celebrated on stage during the 16th annual Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance on May 17, 2026, at Symphony Space in New York City. The Roger Rees Awards recognize the importance of theater arts education and celebrate the exceptional life and career-long artistic excellence of Broadway’s beloved actor/director, Roger Rees.
Congratulations 2026 New Faces Honorees
Myli Bruno, Rye Neck High School
Peyton Burlew, Wantagh High School
Reed Harris Butts, Professional Performing Arts School
Giana Cabrera, Professional Performing Arts School
Noam Chen, Professional Performing Arts School
Emma DeFilippo, Professional Performing Arts School
Alexandra Frangiskatos, Manhasset High School
Tessa Frascogna, Garden City High School
Lea Fredonis, Farmingdale High School
Alexa Galante, Scarsdale High School
Sofia Giannotti, Cardinal Spellman High School
Soleil Hall, The Scholars’ Academy
Victory Handy, Professional Performing Arts School
Jae’den Hastings, Cardinal Spellman High School
Kate Koczko, Garden City High School
Madeline Lee, Syosset High School
Jackson Lehrer, Wantagh High School
Scott McKiernan, Cardinal Spellman High School
Harrison McNeill, Professional Performing Arts School
Julianna Miano, John L. Miller Great Neck North High School
Myles Molina, Arlington High School
Rohan Nair, Herricks High School
Charlotte Nerayoff, John L. Miller Great Neck North High School
Grace Selvers, Riverdale Country School
Pedro Suaid, Rye Neck High School
Joannie Taveras, Bay Shore Senior High School
Madeline Travis, Professional Performing Arts School
Valentina Vergara, East Hampton High School
Rachael Wade, Brooklyn High School of the Arts
Addison Yan, Professional Performing Arts School
Photo Credit: Jennifer Buritica-Lopez
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