Hennepin Arts announces its Spotlight Showcase 2026 Select Tracks participants

Minnesota high school students selected after a rigorous application process for next level experiences at the historic State Theatre

MINNEAPOLIS (May 19, 2026) —Hennepin Arts announced today the 2025-2026 Spotlight Showcase Select Track participants for Triple Threat on Hennepin, Technical Theater Career Pathway, Student Publicist and Spotlight Orchestra. Beyond their skills both on and off stage, these Minnesota high school students have been identified as leaders within their communities.

Spotlight Showcase, Hennepin Arts’ annual recognition event, is Minnesota’s largest celebration of high school theater and provides over 1,200 students the opportunity to perform at the historic State Theatre. Spotlight Showcaseproudly employs professional staff from Minnesota, Broadway and beyond to collaborate with students across all areas of theater. Bourgoin Productions serves as producer.

Triple Threat on Hennepin recognizes junior and senior students with experience or interest in singing, acting, dancing and leadership. Technical Theater Career Pathway recognizes graduating seniors pursuing stage management, audio or lighting. Student Publicist highlights students interested in writing, marketing and social media, while Spotlight Orchestra recognizes student musicians with instrumental experience or interest in musical theater.

As part of the program, four students participating in Triple Threat on Hennepin and two students participating in Technical Theater Career Pathway will be selected to receive the New York Experience. This is an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to attend Broadway performances, participate in workshops and connect with industry professionals.

TRIPLE THREAT ON HENNEPIN Triple Threat on Hennepin engages junior and senior students with interest or experience in singing, acting, dancing and leadership. These students auditioned for a panel of theater professionals and will participate in intensive coaching and rehearsals during Spotlight Showcase:

  • Kiara Angline (Burnsville High School)

  • Maddy Campbell (Rogers High School)

  • Naomi Carter (Central High School, St. Paul)

  • Ethan Christensen (White Bear Lake Area High School)

  • Chloe Erickson (Prior Lake High School)

  • Gabbie Fadina (Creative Academy, Maple Grove)

  • Luzi Feldmann (Delano High School)

  • Holly Flood (White Bear Lake Area High School)

  • Indigo Gabriel (Kennedy High School, Bloomington)

  • Heaven Gordon (Two Rivers High School, Mendota Heights)

  • Mannat Kamal (Woodbury High School)

  • Jacob Marckel (PiM Arts High School, Eden Prairie)

  • Isaac Miller (Saint John’s Preparatory School, Collegeville)

  • Eli Murphy (White Bear Lake Area High School)

  • Emma Nelson (Rosemount High School)

  • Zola Ranum (Minneapolis Washburn High School)

  • Fritz Reding (Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis)

  • Jordan Rivera (Lakeville South High School)

  • Kaitlyn Rudolf (Mankato West High School)

  • Braylon Vollbrecht (Chaska High School)

  • Harry Wallace (The Blake School, Hopkins)

  • Luca Walz (East Ridge High School, Woodbury)

  • Logan Warner (St. Michael-Albertville High School)

  • Taniyah Willsun (Shakopee High School)

TECHNICAL THEATER CAREER PATHWAY Technical Theater Career Pathway engages graduating senior students with an interest or experience in stage management, audio or lighting. These students interviewed with a panel of theater professionals and six Career Pathway Technicians were selected to work alongside professional mentors in creating Spotlight Showcase:

  • Grant Conley, lighting (Minnetonka High School)

  • Althea Forstner, stage management (Kennedy High School, Bloomington)

  • Hailey Gillies, stage management (St. Francis High School)

  • Keira Gray, sound (Pierz Healy High School)

  • M Lyboualong, lighting (Lakeville South High School)

  • Easton Spehar, sound (Minnetonka High School)

STUDENT PUBLICIST Student Publicist engages high school students (grades 9-12) with interest or experience in writing, marketing and social media. These students work closely with Spotlight Education staff to create content and promote Spotlight Showcase. Both Student Publicists receive a scholarship that may be used to further their training:

  • Nick Ciarrochi (Tech High School, St. Cloud)

  • Chloe Keller (Woodbury High School)

SPOTLIGHT ORCHESTRA Spotlight Orchestra engages high school student musicians (grades 9-12) with instrumental interest or experience in musical theater. These students participate in mentorship and rehearsals alongside industry professionals and perform in the pit orchestra for Spotlight Showcase at the historic State Theatre. Two Spotlight Orchestra musicians receive a scholarship that may be used to further their training:

  • Lily Ark, violin (Champlin Park High School)

  • Anna Bach, violin (Edina High School)

  • Ella Beske, horn (St. Croix Preparatory Academy, Stillwater)

  • Titus Bobendrier, trumpet (Andover High School)

  • Kylan Hess, oboe/English horn (Champlin Park High School)

  • Isaac Howard, cello (Stillwater Area High School)

  • Amelia Osterhaus, baritone sax/bass clarinet (Mayo High School, Rochester)

  • Kamau Pegg Rodriguez, viola (Minneapolis Washburn High School)

  • Keith Robertson III, horn (St. Michael-Albertville High School)

  • Reese Shopa, flute (Chisago Lakes High School)

  • Evan Smejkal, violin (White Bear Lake Area High School)

  • Tristan Souder, trumpet (St. Michael-Albertville High School)

  • Zurie Tolle, violin (Owatonna High School)

Hennepin Arts’ Spotlight Education program is an essential part of arts education in many Minnesota high schools. Annually, we help nearly 8,000 students in more than 100 high schools build confidence, critical thinking skills, empathy and a sense of community. The program supplements and enhances arts curricula through production assessments, workshops and arts journalism, increasing equitable access to quality theater education.

Tickets are on sale now to the general public at the State Theatre Box Office and online at HennepinArts.org.

DAYDATETIMEVENUE

Monday

June 8

7:30 p.m.

State Theatre

Tuesday

June 9

7:30 p.m.

State Theatre

For more information about Spotlight Education, please visit HennepinArts.org.

Spotlight Education is made possible with support from Xcel Energy and PNC Bank.

Hennepin Arts drives cultural and economic vitality in Minnesota through leadership of the dynamic Hennepin Theatre District in downtown Minneapolis and educational programming that reaches every area of the state. Its historic theaters — Orpheum, State and Pantages — and the Dudley Riggs Theatre light up Hennepin Avenue with top-tier entertainment, including the best of Broadway and a wide variety of arts programming. Hennepin Arts is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at HennepinArts.org.

Our mission We bring people together through powerful performances and educational programs. Our work preserving historic theaters and activating the District honors the past and shapes the future of Minnesota.

Our DEIAB Efforts We Are Hennepin Arts. Powered by People. Rooted in Responsibility. At Hennepin Arts, we believe identity should never be a barrier to belonging or success. Every person on our staff, on our stages, in our audiences, and in our communities deserves to feel seen, respected, and valued. Inclusion is core to who we are and how we lead. We affirm that diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging (DEIAB) are daily practices that shape how we work, who we serve, and what we stand for.

This activity is made possible by voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.