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
