As part of Playbill's Back to School week, take a look at our annual report on the colleges and universities with the most creative alums performing on Broadway in the 2023–24 Broadway season. Below you'll find this year's top 10 most represented schools for Broadway creatives, plus some honorable mentions. Take a look and see if your school—or a school you're considering attending—made the list!
And click here for the Top 10 universities for Broadway actors.
Editor's Note: For the purposes of this list, we looked at the creative personnel who worked on a Broadway show from April 28, 2023 to April 25, 2024, which coincides with the Tony eligibility period for the season. The team members who we considered for this ranking were directors, designers, choreographers, music directors, book writers, composers, lyricists, playwrights, and stage managers. Alumni performing in shows that opened after April 25, 2024, will be included in next year's list. College attendance data was pulled from publicly available sources, including Playbill and internet-accessible actor résumés.
1. New York University: Brenda Abbandandolo (Costume Design: Mary Jane, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window), Brett J. Banakis (Scenic Design: The Notebook), Gregg Barnes (Costume Design: Aladdin, Some Like It Hot), Chad Beguelin (Book: Aladdin), David Bengali (Projection Design: Water For Elephants), Robert Billig (Musical Director: Chicago), Beowulf Boritt (Scenic Design: Harmony, New York, New York), Ayodele Casel (Choreography: Funny Girl), Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design: Prayer For The French Republic, Merrily We Roll Along), Rachel Chavkin (Director: Lempicka, The Thanksgiving Play), Lap Chi Chu (Lighting: Uncle Vanya, Suffs), Sarah Cimino (Makeup Design: Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Jane Cox (Lighting Design: Appropriate), Carmel Dean (Orchestrations: The Notebook), Neil Diamond (Music, Lyrics: A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical), Kristoffer Diaz (Book: Hell’s Kitchen), Fred Ebb (Lyrics: Cabaret, Chicago, New York, New York), Karla Puno Garcia (Choreographer: Days Of Wine And Roses), Rupert Goold (Director: Patriots), Gordon Greenberg (Director: The Heart of Rock and Roll), Tilly Grimes (Costume Design: I Need That, Shucked), Lux Haac (Costume Design: The Thanksgiving Play), Elizabeth Harper (Lighting: Uncle Vanya), Matt Hinkley (Music Director: The Outsiders), Winnie Holzman (Book: Wicked), Robert Horn (Book: Shucked), Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Playwright: Appropriate), Lael Jellinek (Set Design: Mary Jane), Nicole Johnson (Director: How to Dance in Ohio), Christine Jones (Set Design: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Cookie Jordan (Hair & Wig Design: Merrily We Roll Along), Tatiana Kahvegian (Scenic Design: The Outsiders), Bradley King (Lighting Design: How to Dance in Ohio, Lempicka, Water For Elephants, Fat Ham, Hadestown), Tommy Kurzman (Hair, Wig & Makeup Design: The Cottage, I Need That, Uncle Vanya, Gutenberg! The Musical!, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Pictures From Home), Isobel Lennart (Book: Funny Girl), Justin Levine (Music, Book, Lyrics: The Outsiders, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Mimi Lien (Sets: Uncle Vanya, Sweeney Todd), Sydney Maresca (Costume Design: The Cottage), Nikiya Mathis (Hair & Wig Design: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Uncle Vanya, The Heart of Rock and Roll, Once Upon A One More Time), Michael Mayer (Director: A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Funny Girl), Elaine J. McCarthy (Projection Design: Wicked), Rebekah Greer Melocik (Book, Lyrics: How to Dance in Ohio), Alan Menken (Music: Aladdin), Christopher Munnell (Production Stage Manager: Illinoise), Michael J. Passaro (Production Stage Manager: Shucked), Clint Ramos (Costume Design: Here Lies Love), David West Read (Book: & Juliet), Janet Billig Rich (Music Supervision: Pictures From Home), Jesse Robb (Choreographer: Water For Elephants), Dan Moses Schreier (Sound Design: Harmony), John Patrick Shanley (Playwright: Doubt), Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design: The Notebook, Hadestown, Hamilton, Sweeney Todd), Rachel Sterner (Production Stage Manager: Gutenberg! The Musical!, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Matt Stine (Orchestrations: Once Upon A One More Time, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Shaina Taub (Music, Book, Lyrics: Suffs), Paul Tazewell (Costume Design: Suffs, Hamilton, MJ The Musical), Stuart Thompson (Book: The Book of Mormon), Nathan Tysen (Lyrics: The Great Gatsby), Brian Usifer (Orchestrations: The Heart of Rock and Roll, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical), Kaye Voyce (Costumes: Uncle Vanya), Doug Wright (Playwright: Good Night, Oscar), Lauren Yalango-Grant (Choreography: Parade), Jacob Yandura (Music: How to Dance in Ohio), David Zinn (Scenic Design: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Mother Play, Stereophonic, An Enemy of the People, The Notebook, Funny Girl, Kimberly Akimbo), dots (Santiago Orjuela-Laverde, Andrew Moerdyk, Kimie Nishikawa) (Scenic Design: Appropriate, An Enemy of the People, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window)
2. Yale: Timo Andres (Orchestrations: Illinoise), Christopher Ash (Projection Design: New York, New York), Dede Ayite (Costume Design: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Appropriate, Days Of Wine And Roses, Hell’s Kitchen), Brandon Baker (Lighting Design: Illinoise), John Lee Beatty (Scenic Design: Chicago, Summer, 1976), Brittany Bland (Projection Design: The Wiz), Jiyoun Chang (Lighting Design: The Cottage, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Stereophonic), Linda Cho (Costume Design: Doubt, The Great Gatsby, Harmony, Summer, 1976), Alexander Dodge (Set Design: I Need That), Jackie Sibblies Drury (Book: Illinoise), Rick Elice (Book: Water For Elephants), Adam Guettel (Music, Lyrics, Orchestrations: Days Of Wine And Roses), Kai Harada (Sound Design: Days Of Wine And Roses, Merrily We Roll Along, Spamalot, Kimberly Akimbo, New York, New York), Carolina Ortiz Herrera (Lighting Design: Good Night, Oscar), Amy Herzog (Playwright: Mary Jane), Susan Hilferty (Costume Design: Funny Girl, Parade, Wicked), Takeshi Kata (Scenic Design: Prayer For The French Republic, Water For Elephants), Daniel Kluger (Sound Design: Prayer For The French Republic), Carson Kreitzer (Book, Lyrics: Lempicka), Tina Landau (Director: Mother Play), Jamie Lawrence (Orchestrations: Days Of Wine And Roses), Eugene Lee (Scenic Design: Wicked), Mimi Lien (Sets: Uncle Vanya, Sweeney Todd), William Ivey Long (Costume Design: Chicago), Robert Lopez (Music, Book, Lyrics: The Book of Mormon), Derek McLane (Scenic Design: Purlie Victorious, The Heart of Rock and Roll, MJ The Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Jennifer Moeller (Costume Design: Pictures From Home), Lila Neugebauer (Director: Appropriate, Uncle Vanya), Lynn Nottage (Book: MJ The Musical), Scott Pask (Scenic Design: Grey House, Gutenberg! The Musical!, The Book of Mormon, Shucked, Some Like It Hot), Fitz Patton (Sound Design-Music: I Need That), Lisa Peterson (Director: Good Night, Oscar), Bray Poor (Sound Design: Appropriate, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window), Emily Rebholz (Costume Design: Gutenberg! The Musical!), Adam Rigg (Scenic Design: Illinoise), Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound Design: Doubt, An Enemy of the People, Fat Ham, The Thanksgiving Play), Alex Timbers (Director: Here Lies Love, Gutenberg! The Musical!, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Ken Travis (Sound Design: Aladdin), Brad Ward (Sound Design: I Need That), Sharon Washington (Book: New York, New York), Doug Wright (Playwright: Good Night, Oscar), Michael Yeargan (Scenic Design: Pictures From Home), Donna Zakowska (Costume Design: New York, New York), Yi Zhao (Lighting Design: I Need That), Catherine Zuber (Costume Design: Moulin Rouge! The Musical)
3. Carnegie Mellon University (TIE): Jennifer Caprio (Costume Design: The Heart of Rock and Roll, Spamalot), PigPen Theatre Co. (Alex Falberg, Arya Shahi, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Dan Weschler, Matt Nuernberger, Ryan Melia) (Lyrics: Water For Elephants), David Dabbon (Music: Dancin'), Peggy Eisenhauer (Lighting Design: Harmony), Joshua Harmon (Playwright: Prayer For The French Republic), Peter Hylenski (Sound Design: Lempicka, Dancin', Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Eugene Lee (Scenic Design: Wicked), Ann Roth (Costume Design: The Book of Mormon), Stephen Schwartz (Music, Lyrics: Wicked), Leigh Silverman (Director: Suffs)
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (TIE): Peyton Taylor Becker (Production Stage Manager: SIX: The Musical, Wicked), Camille A. Brown (Choreography: Hell’s Kitchen), Mary Mitchell Campbell (Music Supervision: Water for Elephants), Christina Grant (Makeup Design: Grey House), Harley Haberman (Wig Design: Camelot), Riccardo Hernández (Scenic Design: Suffs), Joe Mantello (Director: Grey House, Wicked), Johnny Milani (Production Stage Manager: New York, New York, Sweeney Todd), Karen Moore (Production Stage Manager: Some Like It Hot), Ryan O’Gara (Lighting Design: The Wiz), Liz Printz (Hair Design: Hamilton), Judith Schoenfeld (Production Stage Manager: Days of Wine and Roses), Destinee Steele (Wig Design: Dancin'), Barclay Stiff (Production Stage Manager: Appropriate), Paul Tazewell (Costume Design: Suffs, Hamilton, MJ The Musical), Ashley Wise (Hair & Wig Design: Dancin')
4. The Juilliard School (TIE): David Adjmi (Playwright: Stereophonic), David Auburn (Playwright: Summer, 1976), Bryan Carter (Orchestrations: Some Like It Hot), Sam Gold (Director: An Enemy of the People), Joshua Harmon (Playwright: Prayer For The French Republic), Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Playwright: Appropriate), Lorin Latarro (Choreography: The Heart of Rock and Roll, The Who’s Tommy), Alan Jay Lerner (Book, Lyrics: Camelot), David Lindsay-Abaire (Book, Lyrics: Kimberly Akimbo), Barry Manilow (Music: Harmony), Darrell Grand Moultrie (Choreographer: Fat Ham), Mia M. Neal (Hair & Wig Design: Hell’s Kitchen, The Notebook, Shucked), David West Read (Book: & Juliet), Scott Taylor Rollison (Production Stage Manager: Patriots, Harmony), Jonathan Tunick (Orchestrations: Merrily We Roll Along, Sweeney Todd)
Columbia University (TIE): Saheem Ali (Director: Fat Ham), Jocelyn Bioh (Playwright: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding), Rachel Chavkin (Director: Lempicka, The Thanksgiving Play), Ossie Davis (Playwright: Purlie Victorious), Fred Ebb (Lyrics: Cabaret, Chicago, New York, New York), George Furth (Book: Merrily We Roll Along), Leah Gelpe (Sound Design: Mary Jane), Rick Hip-Flores (Music Director: Bad Cinderella), John Kander (Music: Cabaret, Chicago, New York, New York), Tom Kitt (Orchestrations: Hell’s Kitchen), Katie Kresek (Orchestrations: Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Frank Lombardi (Production Stage Manager: A Doll’s House), Annie-B Parson (Choreography: Here Lies Love), Dan Moses Schreier (Sound Design: Harmony), Jeanine Tesori (Music: Kimberly Akimbo)
5. Northwestern University: Will Butler (Orchestrations: Stereophonic), Lap Chi Chu (Lighting: Uncle Vanya, Suffs), Jason Crystal (Sound Design: Suffs), Elizabeth Doran (Music Director: SIX: The Musical), George Furth (Book: Merrily We Roll Along), Michael Greif (Director: Days Of Wine And Roses, Hell’s Kitchen, The Notebook), Joshua Harmon (Playwright: Prayer For The French Republic), John Logan (Book: Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Sandy Rustin (Playwright: The Cottage), David Thompson (Book: New York, New York), Ian Weinberger (Music Direction: Hamilton), Whitney White (Director: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding), Geoffrey Ko (Music Director: The Notebook)
6. Harvard (TIE): Haley Bennett (Music Director: & Juliet), Scott Brown (Music, Book, Lyrics: Gutenberg! The Musical!), Sammi Cannold (Director: How to Dance in Ohio), Rick Kuperman (Choreography: The Outsiders), Tina Landau (Director: Mother Play), Alan Jay Lerner (Book, Lyrics: Camelot), Lucy Mackinnon (Projection Design: The Notebook), Derek McLane (Scenic Design: Purlie Victorious, The Heart of Rock and Roll, MJ The Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Scott Rowen (Production Stage Manager: How to Dance in Ohio), Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design: The Notebook, Hadestown, Hamilton, Sweeney Todd), Daniel Troob (Orchestrations: Aladdin), David Zippel (Lyrics: Bad Cinderella)
SUNY Purchase (TIE): Reid Bartelme (Costume Design: Illinoise, Dancin'), Lisa Dawn Cave (Production Stage Manager: The Lion King), Jeff Croiter (Lighting Design: Gutenberg! The Musical!), David Grill (Lighting Design: Dancin'), Brian MacDevitt (Lighting Design: The Outsiders, The Book of Mormon), Mayte Natalio (Choreography: How to Dance in Ohio, Suffs), David Neumann (Choreographer: Hadestown), Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design: Doubt, Once Upon A One More Time, Wicked), Jen Schriever (Lighting Design: Mother Play), John Torres (Lighting Design: The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window), Thom Widmann (Production Stage Manager: Wicked), Michael P. Zaleski (Production Stage Manager: The Book of Mormon)
7. Boston University: Jason Alexander (Director: The Cottage), Howard Ashman (Lyrics: Aladdin), Matt Gould (Music, Book: Lempicka), Paul Tate dePoo III (Scenic Design: The Cottage, The Great Gatsby, Spamalot), Gregory T. Livoti (Production Stage Manager: Here Lies Love, MJ The Musical), Craig Lucas (Book: Days Of Wine And Roses), David Lurie-Perret (Stage Manager: Suffs), David Israel Reynoso (Costume Design: Water For Elephants), Walter Trarbach (Sound Designer: Water For Elephants), Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Director: I Need That)
8. University of California San Diego: Erin Gioia Albrecht (Production Stage Manager: Stereophonic), Robert Brill (Scenic Design: Hell’s Kitchen, How to Dance in Ohio, Dancin'), Michael Greif (Director: Days Of Wine And Roses, Hell’s Kitchen, The Notebook), Dominique Fawn Hill (Costume Design: Fat Ham), Kamra A. Jacobs (Production Stage Manager: Purlie Victorious, Fat Ham), Anne Kauffman (Director: Mary Jane, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window), Annie Le (Costume Design: A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical), Peter John Still (Sound Design: Pictures From Home), Paloma H. Young (Costume Design: Lempicka, The Notebook, & Juliet)
9. Brown University: John Lee Beatty (Scenic Design: Chicago, Summer, 1976), Jackie Sibblies Drury (Book: Illinoise), Lael Jellinek (Set Design: Mary Jane), Danny Mefford (Choreographer: Kimberly Akimbo), Lynn Nottage (Book: MJ The Musical), Alfred Uhry (Book: Parade), Whitney White (Director: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding)
10. London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art: Natasha Chivers (Lighting Design: Prima Facie), Rebecca Frecknall (Director: Cabaret), Dave Hearn (Choreographer: Peter Pan Goes Wrong), Henry Lewis (Playwright: Peter Pan Goes Wrong), Jonathan Sayer (Playwright: Peter Pan Goes Wrong), Henry Shields (Playwright: Peter Pan Goes Wrong)
Honorary Mention:
Oberlin College: Rob Bowman (Musical Director: Chicago), John Kander (Music: Cabaret, Chicago, New York, New York), Natasha Katz (Lighting Design: Grey House, Hell’s Kitchen, Aladdin, MJ The Musical, Some Like It Hot, Sweeney Todd), Charlie Rosen (Orchestrations: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Some Like It Hot), Julie Taymor (Director, Costume Design, Lyrics: The Lion King)
Please send any omissions to [email protected]. Rankings may change as more information is received.
