As part of Playbill’s Back to School week (#BwayBacktoSchool), we have combined past Schools of the Stars features that track where members of the casts for each Broadway show went to college, along with a bit of added research, to present the ten colleges currently most represented on Broadway (plus a few honorable mentions). This list represents not only Broadway shows that are currently open, but a few shows that have announced casting for the 2018-2019 season. Check them out and see if your school (or the school you’re possibly considering) is on the list!
Editor’s Note: This is not intended to be a comprehensive account of working Broadway alumni from each university. The information used to create this list was gathered from actor bios published within Playbill Magazine and Schools of the Stars at the beginning of the 2018–2019 season, and is reflective of its September 10, 2018, publication date. Please also note that Playbill is only ranking college alumni currently on Broadway and not creating our own ranking system. At time of publication, the casts for Broadway productions of Ain’t Too Proud, Be More Chill and Beetlejuice were not yet announced.
1. New York University: Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin), Ari’el Stachel (The Band’s Visit), Bill Army (The Band’s Visit), Kristen Sieh (The Band’s Visit), Kris Roberts (Beautiful), Jason Butler Harner (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Matthew Saldivar (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Aaron Costa Ganis (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Randy Aaron (The Book of Mormon), Keziah John -Paul (The Book of Mormon), Ryan Worsing (The Cher Show), Naomi C. Walley (Chicago), Happy McPartlin (Come From Away), Pearl Sun (Come From Away), Jelani Alladin (Frozen), Timothy Hughes (Frozen), Nina Lafarga (Frozen), Karla Puno Garcia (Hamilton), Jess Barbagallo (Harry Potter), Malika Samuel (Harry Potter), Mike Baerga (King Kong), Peter Chursin (King Kong), Jaquez André Sims (King Kong), Lauren Yalango-Grant (King Kong), Holly Davis (Kinky Boots), Blair Goldberg (Kinky Boots), Myles McHale (Mean Girls), Nikhil Saboo (Mean Girls), John Ellison Conlee (The Nap), Heather Lind (The Nap), Bhavesh Patel (The Nap), Jay Armstrong Johnson (The Phantom of the Opera), Katherine Heaton (The Phantom of the Opera), Amelia McClain (The Play That Goes Wrong), Jessica Crouch (Pretty Woman), David Josefsberg (The Prom), Badia Farha (School of Rock), Diane Phelan (School of Rock), Joel Waggoner (School of Rock), Christina Sajous (SpongeBob SquarePants), Brandon Espinoza (SpongeBob SquarePants), Alex Gibson (SpongeBob Squarepants), Kelvin Moon Loh (SpongeBob SquarePants), Dakin Matthews (To Kill A Mockingbird), Katerina Papacostas (Tootsie), Katie Lowes (Waitress), Molly Hager (Waitress), Molly Jobe (Waitress), Ioana Alfonso (Wicked), Larkin Bogan (Wicked) Josh Daniel Green (Wicked), Marissa Lupp (Wicked), Carla Stickler (Wicked)
2. University of Michigan: Travis Ward-Osborne (Aladdin), Etai Benson (The Band’s Visit), Pomme Koch (The Band’s Visit), Madison Micucci (The Band’s Visit), Alexander Gemignani (Carousel), Halli Toland (Carousel), Sam Lips (The Cher Show), Brian Spitulnik (Chicago), Alex Finke (Come From Away), De’Lon Grant (Come From Away), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Dear Evan Hansen), Ashley Blanchet (Frozen), Jeremy Davis (Frozen), Ryan Vasquez (Hamilton), Brian Flores (Head Over Heels), Christy Faber (Kinky Boots), Erika Henningsen (Mean Girls), Taylor Louderman (Mean Girls), Ashley Park (Mean Girls), Justin Lee Miller (My Fair Lady), Ximone Rose (Once On This Island), Isabelle McCalla (The Prom), Courtney Balan (The Prom), Lizzie Klemperer (School of Rock), L’ogan J’ones (SpongeBob SquarePants), Storm Lever (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Celia Keenan-Bolger (To Kill A Mockingbird), Britney Coleman (Tootsie), Shina Ann Morris (Tootsie), Hannah Shankman (Wicked)
3. University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music: Christy Altomare (Anastasia), Vicki Lewis (Anastasia), Kathryn Boswell (Anastasia), Kyle Brown (Anastasia), Sara Shepherd (Beautiful), Daniel Torres (Beautiful), Melvin Tunstall (Beautiful), Nicholas Belton (Carousel), Garett Hawe (Carousel), Kelly McCormick (Carousel), Blaine Alden Krauss (The Cher Show & Kinky Boots), Angel Reda (The Cher Show), Jason Patrick Sands (Chicago), Sharon Wheatley (Come From Away), Josh Breckenridge (Come From Away), John Riddle (Frozen), Noah J. Ricketts (Frozen), Alysha Deslorieux (Hamilton), Andrew Chappelle (Hamilton), Samantha Pollino (Head Over Heels), Stephen Berger (Kinky Boots), Mia Gentile (Kinky Boots), Kyle Selig (Mean Girls), Christine Cornish Smith (My Fair Lady), Preston Truman Boyd (The Play That Goes Wrong), Adam Monley (Tootsie), Bill Nolte (Waitress)
4. American Musical and Dramatic Academy: Maria Briggs (Frozen & Anastasia), Paris Nix (Beautiful), Husso Semon (Beautiful), Sky Lakota -Lynch (Dear Evan Hansen), Caissie Levy (Frozen), Jacob Smith (Frozen), J. Elaine Marcos (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Peppermint (Head Over Heels), Jon Hoche (King Kong), Jena VanElslander (King Kong), J. Harrison Ghee (Kinky Boots), Damien Brett (Kinky Boots), Ashley De La Rosa (Mean Girls), Minami Yusui (My Fair Lady), Kenita R. Miller (Once On This Island), Hailey Kilgore (Once On This Island), Christopher Sieber (The Prom), Vasthy Mompoint (The Prom & SpongeBob SquarePants), Teddy Toye (The Prom), Lulu Loyd (School of Rock), Kyle Matthew Hamilton (SpongeBob SquarePants), Sarah Stiles (Tootsie), Stephanie Torns (Waitress), Kristen Martin (Wicked)
5. Carnegie Mellon University: Telly Leung (Aladdin), Kara Lindsay (Beautiful), Michael Campayno (The Cher Show), Emily Skinner (The Cher Show), Mitchell Jarvis (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Manu Narayan (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Susan Heyward (Harry Potter), Nathan Salstone (Harry Potter), Arica Jackson (Head Over Heels), James T. Lane (King Kong), Cherry Jones (The Lifespan of a Fact), Michael Hollick (The Lion King), Grey Henson (Mean Girls), Kate Marilley (My Fair Lady & The Prom), Ethan Hova (The Nap), Thomas Jay Ryan (The Nap), Matthew Stocke (Pretty Woman), Leo Ash Evens (School of Rock), Kaleigh Cronin (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Drew Gehling (Waitress), Amanda Jane Cooper (Wicked)
6. Boston Conservatory: Rachel Prather (The Band’s Visit), Nicholas Ryan (Beautiful), Bud Weber (The Book of Mormon), Ashley Blair Fitzgerald (The Cher Show), Michael Tacconi (The Cher Show), De’Lon Grant (Come From Away), Chad Kimball (Come From Away), Austin Lesch (Frozen), Andrew Durand (Head Over Heels), Lisa Finegold (Head Over Heels), Meryn Beckett (Kinky Boots), Bradley Gibson (The Lion King), Liz McCartney (My Fair Lady), Samantha Sturm (My Fair Lady), Matt Wall (My Fair Lady), Janet Saia (The Phantom of the Opera), Allison Blackwell (Pretty Woman), Brittany Zeinstra (The Prom), Matt DeAngelis (Waitress), Peter C. Ermides (Wicked)
7. (tie) Yale University: Dylan Baker (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Christian Probst (The Book of Mormon), Amy Justman (Carousel), Austin Pendleton (Choir Boy), Asa Somers (Dean Evan Hansen), Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Richard Gallagher (Harry Potter), Kyle Lamar Mitchell (The Lion King), Adam Grupper (My Fair Lady), Max Gordon Moore (The Nap), Cicily Daniels (Once On This Island), Ali Ewoldt (The Phantom Of The Opera), Ashley Bryant (The Play That Goes Wrong), Michael Potts (The Prom), Ken Robinson (Summer: The Donna Summers Musical), Christina Acosta Robinson (Summer: The Donna Summers Musical), Reg Rogers (Tootsie)
Oklahoma City University: Jacob Gutierrez (Aladdin), Paige Williams (Aladdin), Wes Hart (Anastasia), Molly Rushing (Anastasia), Colin Anderson (Carousel), Alyssa Fox (Frozen), Nathan Peck (Kinky Boots), Kelli O’Hara (Kiss Me, Kate), Heather Botts (My Fair Lady), Sasha Hutchings (My Fair Lady), Jennifer Sanchez (Pretty Woman), Darius Wright (Pretty Woman), Lauralyn McClelland (SpongeBob SquarePants), Abby C. Smith (SpongeBob SquarePants), Barry Busby (Tootsie), Emily Mechler (Wicked), Colby Q. Lindeman (Wicked)
8. Point Park University: Mike Cannon (Aladdin), Bobby Pestka (Aladdin), Alexandra Pernice (Anastasia), Ahmad Simmons (Carousel), Tory Trowbridge (The Cher Show), Nili Bassman (Chicago), Jessica Ernest (Chicago), Kali Grinder (Frozen), Ross Lekites (Frozen), Gabriella Sorrentino (Hamilton), Marty Lawson (King Kong), Callan Bergmann (Kinky Boots), Stephanie Lynn Bissonnette (Mean Girls), Katie Sexton (The Play That Goes Wrong), Conner John Gilloolly (School of Rock), Harris M. Turner (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical)
9. (tie) University of North Carolina School of the Arts: Davie Thomas Brown (The Book of Mormon), David Bushman (Chicago), Paul Whitty (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Brian Abraham (Harry Potter), Daniel Stewart Sherman (Kinky Boots), Brian C. Binion (The Lion King), Courtnee Carter (Once on this Island), Isaac Powell (Once on this Island), T. Oliver Reid (Once on this Island), Jonathan Gould (School of Rock), Brian Ray Norris (SpongeBob SquarePants), Wesley Taylor (SpongeBob SquarePants), Allan K. Washington (SpongeBob SquarePants), Lucas Hedges (The Waverly Gallery), Sterling Masters (Wicked)
The Juilliard School: Evan Todd (Beautiful), Nick Westrate (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Brittany Bradford (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Renée Fleming (Carousel), Corey John Snide (Carousel), Christopher Vo (The Cher Show), Daniel Breaker (Hamilton), Kyle Weiler (Hamilton), Katie Kreisler (Harry Potter), Tom Alan Robbins (Head Over Heels), Kamille Upshaw (Mean Girls), Joelle Gates (The Phantom of the Opera), Drew Wildman (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Frederick Weller (To Kill A Mockingbird), Michael Urie (Torch Song)
Northwestern University: Brad Weinstock (Aladdin), Amber Owens (Aladdin), Mary Beth Peil (Anastasia), Katrina Lenk (The Band’s Visit), Adam Kantor (The Band’s Visit), Ben Estus (The Book of Mormon), Madeline Weinstein (Harry Potter), Alex Weisman (Harry Potter), Erik Lochtefeld (King Kong), Scott Mikita (The Phantom of the Opera), Carrington Vilmont (The Phantom of the Opera), Jim Weitzer (The Phantom of the Opera), Ned Noyes (The Play That Goes Wrong), Anna Eilinsfeld (Pretty Woman), Antonette Cohen (Wicked)
Pace University: Alok Tewari (The Band’s Visit), Charlie Franklin (The Book of Mormon), Spencer Clark (Frozen), Lindsey Brett Carothers (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Anthony Lee Medina (Hamilton), Sean Green Jr. (Hamilton), Zelig Williams (Hamilton), Christine Shepard (Head Over Heels), Kevin Csolak (Mean Girls), Kerstin Anderson (My Fair Lady), Daniel Yearwood (Once on this Island), Matt Farcher (Pretty Woman), Gabi Campo (The Prom), Brandon Kalm (Waitress), Jeff Heimbrock (Wicked)
10. (tie) Elon University: April Holloway (Aladdin), Kennedy Caughell (Beautiful), JJ Neimann (The Book of Mormon), Matt Meigs (Carousel), Taylor Trensch (Dear Evan Hansen), Rob Marnell (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Tanner Ray Wilson (Head Over Heels), Barrett Wilbert Weed (Mean Girls), Todd A. Horman (My Fair Lady), Drew Redington (The Prom), Mackenzie Bell (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Lindsay K. Northen (Wicked)
Pennsylvania State University: Nathan Lucrezio (Aladdin), Stephanie Martignetti (Beautiful), Matthew Hydzik (The Cher Show), Adam Jepsen (Frozen), James T. Lane (King Kong), Warren Yang (King Kong), Caroline Bowman (Kinky Boots), Michael Alexander Henry (The Lion King), Ixchel Cuellar (Mean Girls), Alan Wiggins (Pretty Woman), Lori Eve Marinacci (School of Rock), Dan Gleason (Wicked)
Fordham University: Alex Aquilino (Anastasia), James A. Pierce III (Anastasia), Brittany Pollack (Carousel), Marija Juliette Abney (The Cher Show), Ricardo A. Zayas (Head Over Heels), Gabriel Hyman (King Kong), India Bolds (The Lion King), Lindsey Jolyn Jackson (The Lion King), Heather Lind (The Nap), Wayne Mackins (The Prom), Drew King (Tootsie), Lauren Sambataro (Wicked)
Syracuse University: Lauren Blackman (Anastasia), Sharone Sayegh (The Band’s Visit), Jessie Mueller (Carousel), Patti Murin (Frozen), John Jeffrey Martin (Kinky Boots), Cheech Manoahr (Mean Girls), Jonalyn Saxer (Mean Girls), Brendon Stimson (Mean Girls), Danny Skinner (SpongeBob SquarePants), Gaelen Gilliland (SpongeBob SquarePants), Will Pullen (To Kill a Mockingbird), Michael Di Liberto (Wicked)
Honorable Mentions:
1. (tie) Baldwin-Wallace University: Steel Burkhardt (Aladdin), Zach Adkins (Anastasia), John K. Kramer (The Book of Mormon), Rebecca Pitcher (Carousel), Jennifer Noble (King Kong), Corey Mach (Kinky Boots), Kyle Post (Kinky Boots), Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls), Cassie Okenka (School of Rock), Jai’len Christine Li Josey (SpongeBob SquarePants)
University of Hartford (Hartt School of Music): Juwan Crawley (Aladdin), Kevin Duda (Beautiful), Matt Faucher (Beautiful), Dan Macke (Dear Evan Hansen), Joey LaBrasca (Harry Potter), Riza Takahashi (Mean Girls), Phillip Boykin (Once on This Island), Jessica Bishop (The Phantom of the Opera), Sheldon Henry (The Prom), Jessica Vosk (Wicked)
University of the Arts: Jeffrey Sousa (Aladdin), Tallia Brinson (The Book of Mormon), Kelli Barrett (Gettin’ the Band Back Together), Willie Smith III (Hamilton), Leroy Church (King Kong), Rory Donovan (King Kong), Michael Martin (My Fair Lady), Josh Lamon (The Prom), LaChanze (Summer: The Donna Summers Musical), Teneise Mitchell Ellis (Wicked)
2. Ithaca College: Kathryn Allison (Aladdin), Ken Krugman (Anastasia), Bruce Landry (Anastasia), Caesar Samayoa (Come From Away), Q. Smith (Come From Away), Justin Colombo (Kinky Boots), Jamal Lee Harris (The Lion King), Kerry Butler (Mean Girls), Jared Zirilli (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical)