As part of Playbill’s Back to School week, here is our annual report on the colleges and universities with the most alumni performing on Broadway in the last season. Below you'll find this year's top 10 most represented schools on Broadway, plus a few honorable mentions that just barely missed making the top 10. Take a look and see if your school—or a school you're considering attending—made the list!
Editor's Note: For the purposes of this list, we looked at every actor who performed in a Broadway show from July 23, 2018, through May 29, 2019, which runs from the first opening of the 2018–2019 season (Straight White Men) to the day before the first opening of the 2019–2020 season (Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune). Alumni performing in shows that opened on or after May 30, 2019, will be included in next year's list. College attendance data was pulled from publicly available sources, including Playbill and internet-accessible actor résumés. The ranking below is based only on our count of alumni that performed on Broadway during the above range of dates.
1. New York University: Randy Aaron (The Book of Mormon), Ioana Alfonso (Wicked), Jelani Alladin (Frozen), Maddy Apple (Hello, Dolly!), Bill Army (The Band’s Visit), Brian Avers (American Son), Mike Baerga (King Kong), Jess Barbagallo (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Larkin Bogan (Wicked), Alyssa Bresnahan (Network), Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice), Peter Chursin (King Kong), John Ellison Conlee (The Nap), Cara Cooper (The Prom), Jessica Crouch (Pretty Woman), Adam Dannheisser (Beetlejuice), Damon Daunno (Oklahoma!), Holly Davis (Kinky Boots), Ty Defoe (Straight White Men), André de Shields (Hadestown), Jennifer Dunne (Chicago), Elizabeth Earley (Hello, Dolly!), Brandon Espinoza (SpongeBob SquarePants), Badia Farha (School of Rock), Rick Faugno (Kiss Me, Kate), Haley Fish (Kiss Me, Kate), Hannah Florence (My Fair Lady), Aaron Costa Ganis (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Karla Puno Garcia (Hamilton), Alex Gibson (SpongeBob SquarePants), Gideon Glick (To Kill a Mockingbird), Holly Gould (The Ferryman), Amber Gray (Hadestown), Josh Daniel Green (Wicked), Molly Hager (Waitress), Jason Butler Harner (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Katharine Heaton (The Phantom of the Opera), Arlo Hill (The Phantom of the Opera), Stephanie Hsu (Be More Chill), Neal Huff (To Kill a Mockingbird), Timothy Hughes (Hadestown, Frozen), Rodney Ingram (Aladdin), Jamie Jackson (Wicked), Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin), Molly Jobe (Waitress), Keziah John-Paul (The Book of Mormon), Brittney Johnson (Wicked), Jay Armstrong Johnson (The Phantom of the Opera), Oyoyo Joi (The Book of Mormon), David Josefsberg (The Prom), Elizabeth Judd (Hamilton), Nina Lafarga (Frozen), Ian Lassiter (King Lear), Antoinette LaVecchia (Torch Song), Carvens Lissaint (Hamilton), Kathleen Littlefield (The Nap), Kelvin Moon Loh (Beetlejuice, SpongeBob SquarePants), Katie Lowes (Waitress), Marissa Lupp (Wicked), Lauren Marcus (Be More Chill), Daniel Marmion (King Lear), Dakin Matthews (To Kill a Mockingbird), Alli Mauzey (Hello, Dolly!), John McGlinty (King Lear), Myles McHale (Mean Girls), Amelia McClain (The Play That Goes Wrong), Happy McPartlin (Come From Away), Brian Miskell (The Waverly Gallery), Rob Morean (Torch Song), Bronson Norris Murphy (The Phantom of the Opera), Donna Murphy (Hello, Dolly!), Griffin Osborne (The Ferryman), Katerina Papacostas (Tootsie), Pedro Pascal (King Lear), Bhavesh Patel (The Nap), Joe Paulik (Network), Susannah Perkins (Network), Khori Michelle Petinaud (Aladdin), Diane Phelan (School of Rock), Ryann Redmond (Frozen), Kris Roberts (Beautiful), Will Roland (Be More Chill), Liv Rooth (To Kill a Mockingbird), Nikhil Saboo (Mean Girls), Christina Sajous (SpongeBob SquarePants), Matthew Saldivar (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Malika Samuel (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Kristen Sieh (The Band’s Visit), Jaquez André Sims (King Kong), Nick Spangler (Tootsie), Ari'el Stachel (The Band’s Visit), Robert Stanton (Ink), Dana Steingold (Beetlejuice), Carla Stickler (Wicked), Ali Stroker (Oklahoma!), Pearl Sun (Come From Away), Jason Tam (Be More Chill), Kay Trinidad (Hadestown), Shona Tucker (To Kill a Mockingbird), Brandon Uranowitz (Burn This, The Band’s Visit), Nicky Venditti (Wicked), Joel Waggoner (Be More Chill, School of Rock), Naomi C. Walley (Chicago), Michael Benjamin Washington (The Boys in the Band), Bubba Weiler (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Frank Wood (Network), Matt Wood (SpongeBob SquarePants), Ryan Worsing (The Cher Show, Hello, Dolly!), Lauren Yalango-Grant (King Kong)
2. University of Michigan: Maureen Anderman (The Waverly Gallery), Ashley Blanchet (Frozen), Britney Coleman (Tootsie), Jenni Barber (All My Sons), Etai Benson (The Band’s Visit), Ben Bogen (Frozen), Will Burton (Kiss Me, Kate, Hello, Dolly!), Joe Carroll (Frozen), Gavin Creel (Waitress, Hello, Dolly!), Jeremy Davis (Frozen), Josh A. Dawson (Beautiful), Yurel Echezarreta (Head Over Heels), Christy Faber (Kinky Boots), Alex Finke (Come From Away), Brian Flores (Head Over Heels), Alexander Gemignani (Carousel, My Fair Lady), De'Lon Grant (Come From Away), Laurel Harris (Wicked), Michael Hartung (Hello, Dolly!), Robert Hartwell (Hello, Dolly!), Erika Henningsen (Mean Girls), Sabrina Imamura (Hamilton), L'ogan J'ones (SpongeBob SquarePants), Celia Keenan-Bolger (To Kill a Mockingbird), Lizzie Klemperer (School of Rock), Pomme Koch (The Band’s Visit), Max Kumangai (Waitress), Storm Lever (Summer), Sam Lips (The Cher Show), Taylor Louderman (Mean Girls), Isabelle McCalla (The Prom), Mallory Michaellann (Hamilton), Madison Micucci (The Band’s Visit), Justin Lee Miller (My Fair Lady), Shina Ann Morris (Tootsie, Anastasia), Desi Oakley (Chicago), Ashley Park (Mean Girls), Ximone Rose (Once On This Island), Joseph Sammour (A Bronx Tale), Paul A. Schaefer (The Phantom of the Opera), Hannah Shankman (Wicked), Dani Spieler (A Bronx Tale), Brian Spitulnik (Chicago), Stephanie Styles (Kiss Me, Kate), Cary Tedder (A Bronx Tale), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Dear Evan Hansen), Halli Toland (Carousel), Dan Tracy (Waitress), Ryan Vasquez (Hamilton), Travis Ward-Osborne (Aladdin), Raena White (Chicago)
3. (tie) Carnegie Mellon University: Daniel Bellomy (Choir Boy), Denée Benton (Hamilton), Matt Bomer (The Boys in the Band), Will Brill (Oklahoma!), Michael Campayno (The Cher Show), John Clay III (Choir Boy), Amanda Jane Cooper (Wicked), Kaleigh Cronin (Summer), Jesmille Darbouze (Kiss Me, Kate), Leo Ash Evans (School of Rock), Gaby Gamache (Aladdin), Marcus Gladney (Choir Boy), Molly Griggs (Hello, Dolly!), Ethan Hawke (True West), Grey Henson (Mean Girls), Susan Heyward (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Michael Hollick (The Lion King), Ethan Hova (The Nap), Arica Jackson (Head Over Heels, Waitress), Rosena M. Hill Jackson (Carousel), Mitchell Jarvis (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Cherry Jones (The Lifespan of a Fact), Andrew Kober (Beautiful, School of Rock), Emily Koch (Waitress), James T. Lane (Kiss Me, Kate, King Kong), Telly Leung (Aladdin), Kara Lindsay (Beautiful), Kate Marilley (The Prom, My Fair Lady), Christopher McHale (Ink), Pilar Millhollen (Chicago), Denver Milord (Oklahoma!), Manu Narayan (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Patricia Phillips (The Phantom of the Opera), Zachary Quinto (The Boys in the Band), Ben Levi Ross (Dear Evan Hansen), Thomas Jay Ryan (The Nap), Nathan Salstone (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Kyle Selig (Mean Girls), Jessie Shelton (Hadestown), Emily Skinner (The Cher Show), Matthew Stocke (Pretty Woman), Gregory Treco (Hamilton)
4. The Juilliard School: Opal Alladin (The Lifespan of a Fact), Michael Arden (King Lear), Collin Baja (Hello, Dolly!), Therese Barbato (King Lear), Brittany Bradford (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Daniel Breaker (Hamilton), Rebecca Brooksher (Burn This), Francesca Carpanini (All My Sons), Jimonn Cole (Hillary and Clinton), Courtenay Collins (The Prom), Kelsey Connolly (The Phantom of the Opera), Justin Cunningham (King Lear), Jimmy Davis (Oklahoma!), Adam Driver (Burn This), Renée Fleming (Carousel), Drew Wildman Foster (Summer), Joelle Gates (The Phantom of the Opera), Michael Genet (Choir Boy), Michael Hayden (All My Sons), Collin Kelly-Sordelet (The Ferryman), Katie Kreisler (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Skeou Laidlow (The Boys in the Band), Alex Larson (Hamilton), Elizabeth Marvel (King Lear), Nancy Opel (Wicked), Raymond Pinto (The Phantom of the Opera), Nicholas Podany (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Mallory Portnoy (Oklahoma!), Tom Alan Robbins (Head Over Heels), Stephen Schnetzer (The Waverly Gallery), Joseph J. Simeone (A Bronx Tale), Corey John Snide (Carousel), Henry Stram (Network), Evan Todd (Beautiful), Kamille Upshaw (Mean Girls), Michael Urie (Torch Song), Christopher Vo (The Cher Show), Benjamin Walker (All My Sons), Kyle Weiler (Hamilton), Frederick Weller (To Kill a Mockingbird), Nick Westrate (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Chelsea Lee Williams (Oklahoma!)
5. American Musical and Dramatic Academy: Netanel Bellaishe (Aladdin), Brianna-Marie Bell (A Bronx Tale), Damien Brett (Kinky Boots), Maria Briggs (Mean Girls, Anastasia, Hello, Dolly!), Brittany Conigatti (A Bronx Tale), Charity Angél Dawson (Waitress), Ashley De La Rosa (Beautiful, Mean Girls), Josh Drake (Aladdin), Jenny Florkowski (Wicked), J. Harrison Ghee (Kinky Boots), Kyle Matthew Hamilton (SpongeBob SquarePants), Jennie Harney-Fleming (Hamilton), Jon Hoche (King Kong), Taylor Symone Jackson (Ain’t Too Proud), Hailey Kilgore (Once On This Island), Sky Lakota-Lynch (Dear Evan Hansen), Caissie Levy (Frozen), Lulu Lloyd (School of Rock), Terra C. MacLeod (Chicago), Jarvis B. Manning Jr. (Ain’t Too Proud), J. Elaine Marcos (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Kristen Martin (Wicked), Anastacia McCleskey (Waitress), Kenita R. Miller (Once On This Island), Vasthy Mompoint (The Prom, SpongeBob SquarePants), Paris Nix (Beautiful), Mamie Parris (School of Rock), Peppermint (Head Over Heels), Jeremy Pope (Ain’t Too Proud, Choir Boy), Housso Semon (Beautiful), Christopher Sieber (The Prom), Jacob Smith (Frozen), Sarah Stiles (Tootsie), Ayla Stackhouse (The Book of Mormon), Stephanie Torns (Waitress), Teddy Toye (The Prom), Jena Van Elslander (King Kong), Minami Yusui (My Fair Lady)
6. College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati: Christy Altomare (Anastasia), Shoshana Bean (Waitress), Nicholas Belton (Carousel), Giovanni Bonaventura (Hello, Dolly!), Kathryn Boswell (Anastasia), Preston Truman Boyd (Kiss Me, Kate, The Play That Goes Wrong), Josh Breckenridge (Come From Away), Ryan Breslin (Beetlejuice), Justin Scott Brown (Anastasia), Kyle Brown (Anastasia), Andrew Chappelle (Hamilton), Max Clayton (Pretty Woman, Hello, Dolly!), Gary Cooper (Chicago), Nikki Renée Daniels (The Book of Mormon), Josh A. Dawson (Beautiful), Alex DeLeo (Wicked), Alysha Deslorieux (Hamilton), Mia Gentile (Kinky Boots), Garrett Hawe (Carousel), Blaine Krauss (The Cher Show, Kinky Boots), Leslie Kritzer (Beetlejuice), Vicki Lewis (Anastasia), Kelly McCormick (Carousel), Adam Monley (Tootsie), Sean Montgomery (Beetlejuice), Bill Nolte (Waitress), Michele Pawk (Beautiful), Samantha Pollino (Head Over Heels), Angel Reda (The Cher Show, Chicago), Noah J. Ricketts (Frozen), John Riddle (Frozen), Jason Patrick Sands (Chicago), Christine Cornish Smith (Kiss Me, Kate, My Fair Lady), Kimber Sprawl (A Bronx Tale), Raven Thomas (Hamilton), Daniel Torres (Beautiful), Sharon Wheatley (Come From Away)
7. Boston Conservatory: Lawrence Alexander (The Lion King), Meryn Beckett (Kinky Boots), Allison Blackwell (Pretty Woman), Will Blum (Torch Song, Beetlejuice), Gabrielle Carrubba (Dear Evan Hansen), Matt DeAngelis (Waitress), Andrew Durand (Head Over Heels, Ink), Peter C. Ermides (Wicked), Lisa Finegold (Head Over Heels), Ashley Blair Fitzgerald (The Cher Show), Bradley Gibson (The Lion King), Eric Anthony Johnson (Beetlejuice), Zachary Daniel Jones (Beetlejuice), Chad Kimball (Come From Away), John Krause (Hadestown), Austin Lesch (Frozen), Charlie Marcus (A Bronx Tale), Liz McCartney (My Fair Lady), Michael McGrath (Tootsie), Katharine McPhee (Waitress), Ramone Owens (Beetlejuice), Hayley Podschun (Hello, Dolly!), Brandi Porter (A Bronx Tale), Rachel Prather (The Band’s Visit), Nicholas Ryan (Beautiful), Janet Saia (The Phantom of the Opera), Jennifer Simard (Mean Girls), Samantha Sturm (My Fair Lady), Michael Tacconi (The Cher Show), Matt Wall (My Fair Lady), Bud Weber (The Book of Mormon), Keith White (A Bronx Tale), Brittany Zeinstra (The Prom)
8. Northwestern University: Fred Applegate (The Ferryman), Kate Baldwin (Hello, Dolly!), J. Casey Barrett (The Book of Mormon), Will Carlyon (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Antonette Cohen (Wicked), Jeremy Cohen (Ain’t Too Proud), Anna Eilinsfeld (Pretty Woman), Ben Estus (The Book of Mormon), Penny Fuller (Anastasia), David Michael Garry (The Phantom of the Opera, Carousel), Brian d'Arcy James (The Ferryman), Adam Kantor (The Band’s Visit), Katrina Lenk (The Band’s Visit), Erik Lochtefeld (King Kong), Scott Mikita (The Phantom of the Opera), Kristine Nielsen (Gary), Ned Noyes (The Play That Goes Wrong), Brian Ogilvie (Pretty Woman), Amber Owens (Aladdin), Mary Beth Peil (Anastasia), Shona Tucker (To Kill a Mockingbird), Carrington Vilmont (The Phantom of the Opera), Jonathan Wagner (School of Rock), Madeline Weinstein (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Brad Weinstock (Aladdin), Alex Weisman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Jim Weitzer (The Phantom of the Opera)
9. Point Park University: Nili Bassman (Chicago), Callan Bergmann (Kinky Boots), Stephanie Lynn Bissonnette (Mean Girls), Mike Cannon (Aladdin), E. Clayton Cornelious (Ain’t Too Proud), Jennifer DiNoia (Wicked), Jessica Ernest (Chicago), Conner John Gilloolly (School of Rock), Kali Grinder (Frozen), Jordan Grubb (SpongeBob SquarePants), Gabrielle Hamilton (Oklahoma!), Neil Haskell (Hamilton), Rory Max Kaplan (A Bronx Tale), Jeff Kuhr (Kinky Boots), Marty Lawson (King Kong), Ross Lekites (Frozen), Sarah Meahl (Kiss Me, Kate, Hello, Dolly!), Alexandra Pernice (Anastasia), Katie Sexton (The Play That Goes Wrong), Ahmad Simmons (Hadestown, Carousel), Gabriella Sorrentino (Hamilton), Tory Trowbridge (The Cher Show), Kirstin Tucker (A Bronx Tale), Harris M. Turner (Summer), Kaley Ann Voorhees (The Phantom of the Opera)
10. (tie) Oklahoma City University: Colin Anderson (Carousel), Heather Botts (My Fair Lady), Julian Diaz-Granados (Ruben & Clay's CHristmas Show), Alyssa Fox (Frozen), Jacob Gutierrez (Aladdin), Wes Hart (Aladdin, Anastasia), Sasha Hutchings (Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady), Eryn LeCroy (The Phantom of the Opera), Colby Q. Lindeman (Wicked), Kelli O'Hara (Kiss Me, Kate), Tiffany Mann (Be More Chill, Waitress), Will Mann (Oklahoma!), Elliott Mattox (Beetlejuice), Lauralyn McClelland (My Fair Lady, SpongeBob SquarePants), Nathan Peck (Kinky Boots), Alexander Ross (The Book of Mormon), Molly Rushing (Anastasia), Jennifer Sánchez (Pretty Woman), Brian Shepard (My Fair Lady), Abby C. Smith (SpongeBob SquarePants), Jonathan Warren (Wicked), Paige Williams (Aladdin), Darius Wright (Pretty Woman), Richard Riaz Yoder (Hello, Dolly!)
University of North Carolina School of the Arts: Brian Thomas Abraham (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Terence Archie (Kiss Me, Kate), Erich Bergen (Waitress), Brian C. Binion (The Lion King), Dave Thomas Brown (The Book of Mormon), Ted Brunetti (A Bronx Tale), David Bushman (Chicago), Courtnee Carter (Once On This Island), William Connell (Ink), Shelby Finnie (The Prom), Jonathan Gould (School of Rock), Alex Hairston (Beautiful), Lucas Hedges (The Waverly Gallery), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Oklahoma!), Joshua Morgan (Ain't Too Proud), Brian Ray Norris (SpongeBob SquarePants), Isaac Powell (Once On This Island), T. Oliver Reid (Hadestown, Once On This Island), Paul Schneider (Straight White Men), Daniel Stewart Sherman (Kinky Boots), Wesley Taylor (SpongeBob SquarePants), Allan K. Washington (Once On This Island, SpongeBob SquarePants), Jeremy Webb (Burn This), Paul Whitty (Gettin’ the Band Back Together)
Honorable Mentions:
Pennsylvania State University: Gilbert L. Bailey II (Beetlejuice), Keely Beirne (Aladdin, Frozen), Caroline Bowman (Kinky Boots), Jane Brockman (Wicked), Kevin Clay (The Book of Mormon), Ixchel Cuellar (Mean Girls), Dan Gleason (Wicked), Michael Alexander Henry (The Lion King), Matthew Hydzik (The Cher Show), Marcus Paul James (Ain’t Too Proud), Adam Jepsen (Frozen), Nathan Lucrezio (Aladdin), Lori Eve Marinacci (School of Rock), Stephanie Martignetti (Beautiful), Alfie Parker, Jr. (Aladdin), Talia Suskauer (Be More Chill), Christian Thompson (Ain’t Too Proud), Ryan Vona (Beautiful), Alan Wiggins (Pretty Woman), Maria Wirries (Dear Evan Hansen), Warren Yang (King Kong)
Pace University: Kerstin Anderson (My Fair Lady), Gabi Campo (The Prom), Lindsey Brett Carothers (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Spencer Clark (Frozen), Kevin Csolak (Mean Girls), Matt Farcher (Pretty Woman), Donell James Foreman (The Book of Mormon), Charlie Franklin (The Book of Mormon), Sean Green, Jr. (Hamilton), Jeff Heimbrock (Wicked), Brandon Kalm (Waitress), Jess LeProtto (Carousel), Anthony Lee Medina (Hamilton), Emily Rogers (Wicked), Christine Shepard (Head Over Heels, Mean Girls), Britton Smith (Be More Chill), Alok Tewari (The Band’s Visit), Samantha Williams (Dear Evan Hansen), Zelig Williams (Hamilton), Daniel Yearwood (Ink, Once On This Island)
Yale University: Ian Bedford (Ink), Ashley Bryant (The Play That Goes Wrong), Cicily Daniels (Once On This Island), Ali Ewoldt (The Phantom of the Opera), Richard Gallagher (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Henry Gottfried (Waitress), Adam Grupper (My Fair Lady), Amy Justman (Carousel), Julian Elijah Martinez (Network), Kyle Lamar Mitchell (The Lion King), Max Gordon Moore (The Nap), Austin Pendleton (Choir Boy), David Hyde Pierce (Hello, Dolly!), Michael Potts (The Prom), Christian Probst (The Book of Mormon), Christine Acosta Robinson (Summer), Ken Robinson (Summer), Reg Rogers (Tootsie), Asa Somers (Dear Evan Hansen), Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton)
Syracuse University: Joe Barbara (A Bronx Tale), Lauren Blackman (Anastasia), Stephen Carrasco (Wicked), Hannah Corneau (Wicked), Michael Di Liberto (Wicked), Gaelen Gilliland (Kinky Boots, SpongeBob SquarePants), Jacob Heimer (Beautiful), Mary Claire King (My Fair Lady), John Jeffrey Martin (Kinky Boots), Marissa McGowan (Kiss Me, Kate), Cheech Manohar (Mean Girls), Jessie Mueller (Carousel), Patti Murin (Frozen), Will Pullen (To Kill a Mockingbird), Jonalyn Saxer (Mean Girls), Sharone Sayegh (The Band’s Visit), Danny Skinner (SpongeBob SquarePants), Brendon Stimson (Mean Girls), Tug Watson (The Phantom of the Opera)
Since this article's original publication, further data resulted in a change in the ranking of College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati; American Musical and Dramatic Academy; University of North Carolina School of the Arts; and Oklahoma City University. This change is reflected above.
