The nominees for the 2026 Chita Rivera Awards recently met the press. BroadwayWorld was there and you can check out photos below!
The nominees were recently announced, which were chosen among shows and films that opened during the 2025-2026 season. Check out the full list of nominees here.
The 2026 Chita Rivera Awards will be presented on May 18 at 7:30PM at the NYU Skirball Center, and produced by Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation, in conjunction with Patricia Watt.
This year, the Chita Rivera Awards will be honoring stage and screen icon Ann-Margret with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The off-Broadway show Gotta Dance! is this year’s recipient of The Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics’ Choice Award. This Award is bestowed by the journalists of the Chita Rivera Awards Broadway judging committee, to recognize outstanding work that falls outside the framework of the original categories. It is named for the longtime Daily News theater critic Douglas Watt and his wife Ethel. Gotta Dance! is currently running at Stage 42.
Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
Joe Lanteri and Michael-Demby Cain

Joe Lanteri

Lee Roy Reams

Isabelle McCalla

Lyrica Woodruff

Cody Williams

Sydney James Harcourt

Riki Kane Larimer

Anthony Cannarella, Riki Kane Larimer and Nikki Feirt Atkins

Riki Kane Larimer and Sarah Meahl

Sarah Meahl

Andrew Winans and Nikki Feirt Atkins

Nikki Feirt Atkins

Anthony Cannarella

Melody Rose and Drew Minard

Melody Rose

Drew Minard

Katie Webber

Fredric Rodriguez Odgaard

Regine Sophia

Sean MacLaughlin

Ani Taj

Emily Madigan and Ani Taj

Emily Madigan

Jonathan Burke

Gene Seidman and Phoebe Louis Dreyfus

Christopher Gattelli

Christopher Gattelli, Ani Taj and Joe Lanteri

Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons

Arturo Lyons

Omari Wiles

Polanco Jones Jr.

Sarah Meahl and Polanco Jones Jr.

Joe Lanteri, Merri L. Davis, Randi Rahm and Michael-Demby Cain

Joe Lanteri, Merri L. Davis, Randi Rahm and Michael-Demby Cain

Randi Rahm and Michael-Demby Cain

Merri L. Davis, Joe Lanteri, Randi Rahm and Michael-Demby Cain

Merri L. Davis, Joe Lanteri and Randi Rahm

Joe Lanteri and Jamie deRoy

Brandon Burke

Deanna Doyle

Deanna Doyle and Brandon Burke

Bebe Neuwirth

Max Clayton

Joe Lanteri and Bebe Neuwirth

Joe Lanteri

Bebe Neuwirth

Schmigadoon Cast-Afra Hines, Brandon Block, Becca Petersen, Nathan Lucrezio, Max Clayton, Richard Riaz Yoder, Joshua Burrage, Kimberly Immanuel, Shina Ann Morris, Jess LeProtto, Lyrica Woodruff, Isabelle McCalla, Zachary Downer and Kaleigh Cronin

Richard Riaz Yoder

Afra Hines and Richard Riaz Yoder

Afra Hines

Layton Williams

Constantine Rousouli and Layton Williams

Constantine Rousouli

From Gotta Dance-Cole Newburg, Kelly Beirne, Barton Cowperthwaite, Liesel Landegger, Melody Rose, Brandon Burks, Deanna Doyle, Samantha Siegel, Libby Lloyd, Ronnie S. Bowman, Jr., Daniel C. Jones, Drew Minard, Riki Kane Larimer (Producer), Anthony Cannarella and Andrew Winans (Assoc. Director-Choreoghrapher)

From Chess-Sean MacLaughlin, Regine Sophia, Sydney Jones, Kyla Bartholomeusz, Sarah Meahl, Fredric Rodriguez Odgaard and Katie Webber

Libby Lloyd

Samantha Siegel


















