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 2024–25 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! (Click here for the top 10 schools for actors.)

Editor's Note: For the purposes of this list, we looked at the creative personnel who worked on a Broadway show from April 29, 2024, through April 27, 2025, 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 working in shows that opened after April 27, 2025, will be included in next year's list. College attendance data was pulled from publicly available sources, including Playbill and internet-accessible résumés.

We also structured the creative list a tad differently than the actors' list due to the preponderance of ties, showing just how many different schools the behind-the-scenes folks on Broadway have attended.

1. New York University: Brenda Abbandandolo (Costume Design: Mary Jane, Good Night and Good Luck), Jason Ardizzone-West (Scenic Design: Redwood), Will Aronson (Music, Book, Orchestrations: Maybe Happy Ending), Brett J. Banakis (Scenic Design: The Notebook), Gregg Barnes (Costume Design: Aladdin, BOOP! The Musical), Jake Barton (Scenic Design: McNeal), Chad Beguelin (Book: Aladdin, Elf), Reza Behjat (Lighting Design: English), David Bengali (Projection Design: Water For Elephants, Good Night and Good Luck, Eureka Day), Robert Billig (Musical Director: Chicago), Beowulf Boritt (Scenic Design: Left on Tenth, Smash, Our Town), Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design: Merrily We Roll Along, Purpose), Rachel Chavkin (Director: Lempicka), Lap Chi Chu (Lighting: Uncle Vanya, Yellow Face), Sarah Cimino (Make-up Design: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Redwood), Jane Cox (Lighting Design: Appropriate), Carmel Dean (Orchestrations: The Notebook), Kristoffer Diaz (Book: Hell's Kitchen), Shawn Duan (Projection Design: Mother Play), Fred Ebb (Book, Lyrics: Chicago, Cabaret), Marsha Ginsberg (Set Design: English), Rupert Goold (Director: Patriots, Tammy Faye), Gordon Greenberg (Director: The Heart of Rock and Roll), Elizabeth Harper (Lighting: Uncle Vanya), Leslye Headland (Playwright: Cult of Love), Winnie Holzman (Book: Wicked), Allen Lee Hughes (Lighting Design: Home, Our Town), Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Playwright: Appropriate, Purpose), Lael Jellinek (Set Design: Mary Jane), Christine Jones (Set Design: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Cookie Jordan (Hair & Wig Design, Wig Design: Merrily We Roll Along), Bradley King (Lighting Design: Hadestown, Lempicka, Water For Elephants), Kris Kukul (Music, Orchestrations: All In: Comedy About Love), Tommy Kurzman (Hair: Wigs & Makeup), Justin Levine (Orchestrations: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Outsiders), Mimi Lien (Scenic Design: Sweeney Todd, Uncle Vanya), Lisa Loomer (Book: Real Women Have Curves), Arnulfo Maldonado (Scenic Design: Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Real Women Have Curves, Home, Yellow Face), Nikiya Mathis (Wigs: Uncle Vanya, The Heart of Rock and Roll, Purpose, Home), Michael Mayer (Director: Swept Away), Elaine J. McCarthy (Projection Design: Wicked), Alan Menken (Music: Aladdin), Itamar Moses (Book: Dead Outlaw), Christopher Munnell (Production Stage Manager: Illinoise), Hue Park (Book, Lyrics: Maybe Happy Ending), Marco Pennette (Book: Death Becomes Her), Sam Pinkleton (Director: Oh Mary!), Marco Ramirez (Book: Buena Vista Social Club), Clint Ramos (Costume Design: Maybe Happy Ending, Eureka Day), David West Read (Book: & Juliet), George Reeve (Projection Design: Maybe Happy Ending, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends), Jesse Robb (Choreographer: Water For Elephants), Christina Sajous (Director: A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical), Cha See (Lighting Design: Oh Mary!), Matthew Sklar (Music: Elf), Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design: Hadestown, Hamilton, Sweeney Todd, The Notebook), Rachel Sterner (Production Stage Manager: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Death Becomes Her), Matt Stine (Orchestrations: Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Ani Taj (Choreographer: Dead Outlaw), Paul Tazewell (Costume Design: Hamilton, MJ The Musical,Death Becomes Her), Stuart Thompson (Book: The Book of Mormon), Sanaz Toossi (Playwright: English), Nathan Tysen (Lyrics: The Great Gatsby), Brian Usifer (Orchestrations: The Heart of Rock and Roll), Kaye Voyce (Costumes: Uncle Vanya), Teresa L. Williams (Scenic Design: John Proctor is the Villain), George C. Wolfe (Director: Gypsy), Joshua Zecher-Ross (Music Director: Operation Mincemeat), David Zinn (Costume Design: An Enemy of the People, Mother Play, Stereophonic, The Notebook, The Last Five Years, Once Upon a Mattress), dots (Santiago Orjuela-Laverde, Andrew Moerdyk, Kimie Nishikawa) (Scenic Design: Appropriate, An Enemy of the People, Oh Mary!, Romeo and Juliet)

2. Yale: Narda Alcorn (Production Stage Manager: Mary Jane, Othello), Timo Andres (Orchestrations: Illinoise), Dede Ayite (Costume Design: Appropriate, Hell's Kitchen, Purpose, Buena Vista Social Club, Home, Othello, Our Town, The Last Five Years), Brandon Baker (Lighting Design: Illinoise), John Lee Beatty (Scenic Design: Chicago, Cult of Love), Brittany Bland (Projection Design: The Wiz), Jiyoun Chang (Lighting Design: Stereophonic), Linda Cho (Costume Design: The Great Gatsby, Pirates! The Penzance Musical), Sophia Choi (Costume Design: Cult of Love), Trip Cullman (Director: Cult of Love), Jackie Sibblies Drury (Book: Illinoise), Rick Elice (Book: Water For Elephants, Smash), Dean Fuller (Book: Once Upon a Mattress), Adam Guettel (Lyrics: Floyd Collins), Kai Harada (Sound Design: Merrily We Roll Along, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, Dead Outlaw, Once Upon a Mattress), Palmer Hefferan (Sound Design: John Proctor is the Villain), Amy Herzog (Playwright: Mary Jane), Susan Hilferty (Costume Design: Wicked, Swept Away), Donald Holder (The Lion King, Pirates! The Penzance Musical), David Henry Hwang (Playwright: Yellow Face), Takeshi Kata (Scenic Design: Water For Elephants), Daniel Kluger (Sound Design: Good Night and Good Luck, Oh Mary!), Carson Kreitzer (Book, Lyrics: Lempicka), Tina Landau (Director: Mother Play, Redwood, Floyd Collins), Eugene Lee (Scenic Design: Wicked), Mimi Lien (Scenic Design: Sweeney Todd, Uncle Vanya), William Ivey Long (Costume Design: Chicago), Robert Lopez (Music, Book, Lyrics: The Book of Mormon), Santo Loquasto (Scenic Design: Gypsy), Derek McLane (Scenic Design: MJ The Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Heart of Rock and Roll, Death Becomes Her, Just in Time, Othello), Jennifer Moeller (Costume Design: All In: Comedy About Love, McNeal), Itamar Moses (Book: Dead Outlaw), Lila Neugebauer (Director: Appropriate, Uncle Vanya), Lynn Nottage (Book: MJ The Musical), Scott Pask (Scenic Design: The Book of Mormon, Good Night and Good Luck, Glengarry Glen Ross), Bray Poor (Sound Design: Appropriate), Andrew Resnick (Orchestrations: Just in Time), Adam Rigg (Scenic Design: Illinoise), Todd Rosenthal (Scenic Design: Purpose, Eureka Day), Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound Design: An Enemy of the People,The Roommate, Pirates! The Penzance Musical), Alex Timbers (Director: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, All In: Comedy About Love), Ken Travis (Sound Design: Aladdin), Hannah Wasileski (Projection Design: John Proctor is the Villain), Thornton Wilder (Playwright: Our Town), Anita Yavich (Costume Design: Yellow Face), Michael Yeargan (Scenic Design: McNeal), Sinan Refik Zafar (Sound Design: English), Catherine Zuber (Costume Design: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Just in Time)

3-4. The Juilliard School (TIE): David Adjmi (Playwright: Stereophonic), Bryan Carter (Orchestrations: Good Night and Good Luck), Sam Gold (Director: An Enemy of the People, Romeo and Juliet), Andrea Hood (Costume Design: Once Upon a Mattress), Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Playwright: Appropriate, Purpose), Lorin Latarro (Choreography: The Heart of Rock and Roll, The Who's Tommy, Once Upon a Mattress), Sarah Levine (Makeup Design: Swept Away), Steve Margoshes (Orchestrations: The Who's Tommy), Mia M. Neal (Hair & Wig Design: The Notebook, Hell's Kitchen, Othello, Gypsy, The Last Five Years), Marco Ramirez (Book: Buena Vista Social Club), David West Read (Book: & Juliet), Scott Taylor Rollison (Production Stage Manager: Patriots), Jen Silverman (Playwright: The Roommate), Matthew Sklar (Music: Elf), Aurin Squire (Book: A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical), Michael Thurber (Orchestrations: Just in Time), Jonathan Tunick (Orchestrations: Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends)

Carnegie Mellon University (TIE): Jennifer Caprio (Costume Design: The Heart of Rock and Roll), PigPen Theatre Co. (Alex Falberg, Arya Shahi, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Dan Weschler, Matt Nuernberger, Ryan Melia) (Lyrics: Water For Elephants), Jake DeGroot (Lighting Design: All In: Comedy About Love), Peggy Eisenhauer (Lighting Design: Gypsy), Peter Hylenski (Sound Design: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Lempicka, All In: Comedy About Love, Death Becomes Her, Just in Time, Maybe Happy Ending), Eugene Lee (Scenic Design: Wicked), Michelle J. Li (Costume Design: JOB), Ann Roth (Costume Design: The Book of Mormon), Stephen Schwartz (Music, Lyrics: Wicked), Leigh Silverman (Director: Yellow Face)

5. Northwestern University: Jake Barton (Scenic Design: McNeal), Will Butler (Orchestrations: Stereophonic), Lap Chi Chu (Lighting: Uncle Vanya, Yellow Face), Elizabeth Doran (Music Director: SIX: The Musical), George Furth (Book: Merrily We Roll Along), Michael Greif (Director: The Notebook, Hell's Kitchen), Michael Herwitz (Director: JOB), John Logan (Book: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Swept Away), Marco Paguia (Orchestrations: Buena Vista Social Club), Scott Penner (Scenic Design: JOB), Katie Spelman (Choreography: The Notebook), Aurin Squire (Book: A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical), Ian Weinberger (Music Direction: Hamilton), Whitney White (Director: The Last Five Years)

6-7. Columbia University (TIE): Ayad Akhtar (Playwright: McNeal), Saheem Ali (Director: Buena Vista Social Club), Rachel Chavkin (Director: Lempicka), Fred Ebb (Book, Lyrics: Chicago, Cabaret), George Furth (Book: Merrily We Roll Along), Leah Gelpe (Sound Design: Mary Jane), John Kander (Music: Chicago, Cabaret), Tom Kitt (Orchestrations: Hell's Kitchen), Katie Kresek (Orchestrations: Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Sid Ramin (Orchestrations: Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Gypsy), Benjamin Velez (Lyrics, Orchestrations: Real Women Have Curves), Rachel A. Zucker (Production Stage Manager: JOB)

Harvard University (TIE): Will Aronson (Music, Book, Orchestrations: Maybe Happy Ending), Nell Benjamin (Book: Real Women Have Curves), Haley Bennett (Music Director: & Juliet), Kate Diaz (Music, Lyrics, Orchestrations: Redwood), Rick Kuperman (Choreography: The Outsiders, The Last Five Years), Tina Landau (Director: Mother Play, Redwood, Floyd Collins), Lucy Mackinnon (Projection Design: The Notebook), Derek McLane (Scenic Design: MJ The Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Heart of Rock and Roll, Death Becomes Her, Just in Time, Othello), Simon Rich (Playwright: All In: Comedy About Love), Scott Rowen (Production Stage Manager: All In: Comedy About Love, Just in Time), Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design: Hadestown, Hamilton, Sweeney Todd, The Notebook), Daniel Troob (Orchestrations: Aladdin)

8. University of North Carolina School of the Arts: Peyton Taylor Becker (Production Stage Manager: SIX: The Musical, Wicked), Camille A. Brown (Choreography: Hell's Kitchen, Gypsy), Jason DePinto (Production Stage Manager: Back To The Future), Joe Mantello (Director: Wicked), Johnny Milani (Production Stage Manager: Sweeney Todd,Sunset Boulevard), Karen Moore (Production Stage Manager: Operation Mincemeat, Elf), Ryan O'Gara (Lighting Design: The Wiz), Liz Printz (Hair Design: Hamilton, Cult of Love, Elf), Barclay Stiff (Production Stage Manager: Appropriate, Glengarry Glen Ross), Paul Tazewell (Costume Design: Hamilton, MJ The Musical, Death Becomes Her), Charles M. Turner III (Production Stage Manager: The Hills of California, Eureka Day)

9-10. University of California San Diego (TIE): Erin Gioia Albrecht (Production Stage Manager: Stereophonic), Robert Brill (Scenic Design: Hell's Kitchen), Mextly Couzin (Lighting Design: JOB), Michael Greif (Director: The Notebook, Hell's Kitchen), Kamra A. Jacobs (Production Stage Manager: John Proctor is the Villain, Our Town), Samantha Watson (Production Stage Manager: Home), Paloma H. Young (Costume Design: & Juliet, Lempicka), Paloma Young (Costume Design: The Notebook, Real Women Have Curves)

SUNY Purchase (TIE): Reid Bartelme (Costume Design: Illinoise), Lisa Dawn Cave (Production Stage Manager: The Lion King), Brian MacDevitt (Lighting Design: The Book of Mormon, The Outsiders), David Neumann (Choreographer: Hadestown, Swept Away), Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design: Wicked), Jen Schriever (Lighting Design: Mother Play, Eureka Day, Glengarry Glen Ross), Thom Widmann (Production Stage Manager: Wicked), Michael P. Zaleski (Production Stage Manager: The Book of Mormon)

Honorable Mentions:

Boston University: Howard Ashman (Lyrics: Aladdin), Matt Gould (Music, Book: Lempicka), Paul Tate dePoo III (Scenic Design, Projection Design: The Great Gatsby), Drew Levy (Sound Design: Oh Mary!), Gregory T. Livoti (Production Stage Manager: MJ The Musical), David Israel Reynoso (Costume Design: Water For Elephants), Jen Silverman (Playwright: The Roommate)

Brown University: Ayad Akhtar (Playwright: McNeal), John Lee Beatty (Scenic Design: Chicago, Cult of Love), Jackie Sibblies Drury (Book: Illinoise), Lael Jellinek (Set Design: Mary Jane), Lynn Nottage (Book: MJ The Musical), Whitney White (Director: The Last Five Years), David Yazbek (Music: The Roommate, Dead Outlaw)

Cornell University: Jason Ardizzone-West (Scenic Design: Redwood), Rick Elice (Book: Water For Elephants, Smash), Sam Gold (Director: An Enemy of the People, Romeo and Juliet), Arthur Laurents (Book: Gypsy), Huey Lewis and the News (Lyrics: The Heart of Rock and Roll), Paula Vogel (Playwright: Mother Play)

Berklee College of Music: Kate Diaz (Music-Lyrics-Orchestrations: Redwood), Alex Lacamoire (Music Supervisor: Hamilton, Hamilton), Cian McCarthy (Orchestrations: Lempicka), Stephen Oremus (Music Supervision: The Book of Mormon, Wicked), Alan Silvestri (Lyrics: Back To The Future)

Howard University: Felicia Graham (Makeup Design: Home), Beverly Jenkins (Production Stage Manager: The Outsiders), Phylicia Rashad (Director: Purpose), Tiffany N. Robinson (Production Stage Manager: Purpose), Harold Wheeler (Orchestrations: The Wiz)

The New School: Jill BC Du Boff (Sound Design: Mother Play, Left on Tenth), Dominic Fallacaro (Music Director: & Juliet), Blythe Irish (Makeup Design: Maybe Happy Ending), Jeff Mahshie (Costume Design: Left on Tenth), Sufjan Stevens (Lyrics: Illinoise)

Oberlin College: Rob Bowman (Musical Director: Chicago), John Kander (Music: Chicago, Cabaret), Natasha Katz (Lighting Design: Aladdin, MJ The Musical, Sweeney Todd, Hell’s Kitchen, John Proctor is the Villain, The Roommate, Real Women Have Curves, Othello), Charlie Rosen (Orchestrations: Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Julie Taymor (Director-Costume Design-Lyrics: The Lion King)

Central School of Speech and Drama: Gary Beestone (Director: Stranger Things: The First Shadow), Gareth Fry (Sound Design: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Jack Knowles (Lighting Design: Patriots, Sunset Boulevard), Finn Ross (Projection Design: BOOP! The Musical)

California Institute of the Arts: Kevin Adams (Lighting Design: Swept Away), Brandon Baker (Lighting Design: Illinoise), Todd Sickafoose (Orchestrations: Hadestown), Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (Projection Design: Left on Tenth)

Ithaca College: Jennifer Caprio (Costume Design: The Heart of Rock and Roll), David Hyslop (Production Stage Manager: Chicago), Takeshi Kata (Scenic Design: Water For Elephants), Pelle Melio (Wig Design: Real Women Have Curves)

Manhattan School of Music: Bryan Crook (Orchestrations: Back To The Future), Rupert Holmes (Book-Lyrics: Pirates! The Penzance Musical), Joseph Joubert (Orchestrations: The Wiz, Pirates! The Penzance Musical), Liam Robinson (Music Supervisor: Hadestown)

Stanford University: Gordon Greenberg (Director: The Heart of Rock and Roll), David Henry Hwang (Playwright: Yellow Face), Anne Kauffman (Director: Mary Jane), Warren Leight (Book: Just in Time)

University of California Los Angeles: Brett J. Banakis (Scenic Design: The Notebook), Hana Kim (Projection Design: The Outsiders), Yee Eun Nam (Projection Design: Yellow Face), Casey Nicholaw (Director-Choreographer: Aladdin, The Book of Mormon)

University of Southern California: Jonathan A. Abrams (Book: The Heart of Rock and Roll), Bob Gale (Book: Back To The Future), Grant Heslov (Playwright: Good Night and Good Luck), Alan Williams (Orchestrations: Elf)

Please send any omissions to [email protected]. Rankings may change as more information is received.