Columbia Theatre-Makers Win Best Musical and Best Play, Among Others, at the 2026 Tony Awards
Update
The 79th Annual Tony Awards concluded the evening of June 7, and Columbia theatre-makers took home some of the night's biggest honors. Let's break it down.
With the help of General Manager Danielle Karliner Naish '13 and Production Assistant Samantha Clarke '24, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman was awarded Best Revival of a Play, among five other Tonys, making it the most heavily lauded production of the ceremony.
Schmigadoon!—co-produced by David Manella '18, Alex Donnelly (CC '14) and Adam Miller '03 (also the show's General Manager) with support from Theatre Management & Producing alum Vivian Cao '25 as Assistant General Manager—won four of their 12 nominations, including Best Book of a Musical and the coveted title of Best Musical.
Though Schmigadoon! triumphed over The Lost Boys in the competition for Best Musical, the musical adaptation of the 1987 cult teenager vampire film—with Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theatre Sarah Harris as Assistant Stage Manager—was recognized for its acting and stage design with four Tonys.
Liberation—produced by Prince Fellowship alum and Adjunct Assistant Professor Rachel Sussman—took home one weighty title: Best Play. The last time the award was given to a female playwright was in 1989, playwright Beth Wohl poignantly pointed out in her acceptance speech.
Ragtime, written by alum Terrence McNally (CC '60) and produced by 2022 Front Row Fellow Lamar Richardson (CC '15), won Best Revival of a Musical—the first production in the show's history to snag the top prize—in addition to honors for lead actor and actress, as well as sound design.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball—produced by 2024 Prince Fellow George Strus, 2025 Prince Fellow Miranda Gohh and Theatre Management & Producing student Caitlin Berg—picked up Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography. Best Costume Design in a Musical went to Cats' Qween Jean, making her the award show's first openly trans recipient.
Two plays chock-full of alums were celebrated for their lead actors: Giant's John Lithgow brought home Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, while Oedipus' Lesley Manville landed Best Actress in a Leading Role. Giant was produced by Nicole Kramer '20 and Jessica R. Jenen '93, and Associate Produced by Tatum Ludlam '26. Associate Professor of Professional Practice and Head of the Stage Management Concentration Michael Passaro worked on the play as Stage Manager, with Stage Management student Samantha Grocock as a Production Assistant and substitute Assistant Stage Manager. Kalen Sakima '25 worked as the Assistant Company Manager of the play. Zoe Feng '25 worked on Oedipus this season as a Technical Production Assistant.
See a full list of 2026 Tony Award winners here.
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Original
The 2026 Tony nominations are out, and the highest award in theatre has honored the work of dozens of Columbia theatre-makers. Ten Columbia producers are contenders to take home Tonys for Best Play, Best Musical, Best Revival of a Play, and Best Revival of a Musical, including the most-nominated productions of the season. The musicals Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys each earned 12 nominations. Schmigadoon! was co-produced by Theatre Management & Producing alum David Manella '18, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theatre Sarah Harris worked on The Lost Boys as Assistant Stage Manager. Sixteen other alums are affiliated with productions that earned nominations from Best Direction of a Musical to Best Lighting Design of a Play.
BEST PLAY
Giant
Giant, which captures famed British children's author Roald Dahl in the crosshairs of an antisemetic scandal and the height of his literary powers, already took home 3 Laurence Olivier Awards during its initial run on the West End. Now nominated for four Tonys, including Best Play, the play was produced and supported by a slate of Columbia theatre-makers.
Theatre Management & Producing alums Nicole Kramer '20 and Jessica R. Jenen '93 produced the play, with Tatum Ludlam '26 as Associate Producer, and will take home the Best Play Tony should Giant win. Associate Professor of Professional Practice and Head of the Stage Management Concentration Michael Passaro worked on the play as stage manager, with Stage Management student Samantha Grocock as a production assistant and substitute Assistant Stage Manager. Kalen Sakima '25 worked as the assistant company manager of the play.
Liberation
Prince Fellowship alum and Adjunct Assistant Professor Rachel Sussman produced Liberation, the memory play about second-wave feminism in 1970s Ohio nominated for Best Play this year. Bess Wohl, its playwright, won the 2026 Pulitzer for Drama last week. Sussman has already won a Tony for Suffs, the musical retelling of suffragists fighting (and in-fighting) for the women's right to vote. Stage Management alum Amelia McGinnis '24 worked on Liberation as a production assistant and assistant stage manager.
The Balusters
Acting alum Jeena Li '14 plays Melissa Han in The Balusters, a comedy centered on the fictional Vernon Point Neighborhood Association written by Pulitzer winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. The Balusters received five Tony nominations, including Best Play and Best Direction of a Play.
BEST MUSICAL
The Lost Boys
The Broadway reimagining of the cult-classic vampire flick, The Lost Boys, is tied with Schmigadoon! for the most Tony nominations, 12. Set in Los Angeles, the musical follows a transplant to Santa Clara as he finds belonging in a rock band with a dark secret. Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theatre Sarah Harris works on the musical as assistant stage manager.
Schmigadoon!
Schmigadoon!, co-produced by Manella, Alex Donnelly (CC '14), and Adam Miller '03 (also the show's General Manager), racked up the most Tony nominations of any production in 2026, tied with The Lost Boys. The musical comedy, which Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio adapted from their TV show of the same name, follows two doctors in a struggling relationship as they transport through a rabbit-hole into a town populated by Golden Age musicals. Theatre Management & Producing alum Vivian Cao '25 worked on the musical as assistant general manager.
Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across Manhattan
Stage Management alum Thea McRae '24 worked on Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across Manhattan as assistant stage manager. The two-hander, whose premise is in the title, was also nominated for Best Musical.
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Every Brilliant Thing
Theatre Management & Producing alum Kate Cannova '13 produced the revival of Every Brilliant Thing with David Manella and 2019 Prince Fellow Ben Holtzman's P3 Productions. The team, which produced one of only three plays to recoup its production cost in the 2026 season, could soon take home the Tony for Best Revival of a Play. An enormous slate of Stage Management alums and Theater Management & Producing alums made the extraordinary lift of the mostly improvised Every Brilliant Thing possible, along with the devoted performance of the solo lead and narrator, Daniel Radcliffe.
In the minutes leading up to the interactive play, which revolves around an unnamed narrator searching for details to encourage his suicidal mother, Radcliffe runs through the audience asking viewers if they would feel comfortable participating. Columbia faculty and alums work backstage to make it all happen, including the Principal Stage Manager and Adjunct Assistant Professor Jhanaë Bonnick. Stage Management alums supported Bonnick, including Assistant General Manager Vivian Cao '25 and Production Assistant Zoe Feng '25. Theatre Management & Producing alum Adam Miller '13 worked as general manager on the play.
Feng also worked on Oedipus this season as a Technical Production Assistant. Robert Icke's modern update of the classic Greek tragedy was also nominated for Best Revival of a Play.
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
The revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman leads the pack of plays with nine nominations, the most this year. The classic play, which captures the demise of an American family man, is nominated for Best Revival of a Play, and couldn't have happened without the contributions of General Manager Danielle Karliner Naish '13 and Production Assistant Samantha Clarke '24.
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
No matter which of the three productions wins for Best Revival of a Musical, a Columbia theatremaker will be recognized for their outstanding work this season.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic adaptation of the T.S. Eliot poem is no stranger to Broadway, but it has never before been reimagined like this. The classic characters take the stage this time as performers in the fierce Jellicle Ball, a drag ballroom competition. The production team includes Hollywood and Broadway luminaries Cynthia Erivo, John Legend and Lena Waithe as well as Columbia alums. 2024 Prince Fellow George Strus, 2025 Prince Fellow Miranda Gohh and Theatre Management & Producing student Caitlin Berg each supported the musical as producers and could take home the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical. Professor Cody Renard Richards works the musical as production stage manager.
Ragtime
2022 Front Row Productions Producing Fellow Lamar Richardson (CC '15) produced the most recent production of Ragtime, nominated for Best Revival of a Musical. Alum Terrence McNally CC '60 wrote the classic musical, which follows the lives of three families from different backgrounds at the turn of the century. Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theatre and Tony winner Cody Renard Richard worked as the production stage manager of the musical. Its stars recently showcased hit songs from Ragtime on NPR'S Tiny Desk Concert.
Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show
Theatre Management & Producing student Victoria Provost worked on the latest adaptation of Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show as a consultant for the campy cult classic musical, nominated not only for Best Revival of a Musical, but also Best Costume Design. Theatre Management & Producing alum Devin Ramirez '23 worked as the assistant company manager on the production. The revival takes the stage in the old Studio 54 venue.
The 79th Annual Tony Awards will be hosted by pop star P!nk at the Radio City Music Hall from 8 to 11 pm ET on June 7. The ceremony will broadcast on CBS and stream online at Paramount+. Follow us for more coverage of the outstanding accomplishments of School of the Arts alumni, including the 2026 Tony Award winners.
This roundup is a developing story. Check back frequently for more Columbia connections as they surface.