arts & entertainment

Students representing GYAC Gifford Youth Achievement Center and Riverside Theatre received awards & recognition at the 2026 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta (JTF Atlanta). The monumental weekend dedicated to rewarding and celebrating excellent student-driven musical theater programs happened January 16-18, 2026, at the Cobb Convention Center in Atlanta, GA. 

At the festival, each group performed 15 minutes of a Broadway Junior® musical for adjudicators.

GYAC Gifford Youth Achievement Center

• Riverside Theatre is a nonprofit organization offering classes, camps, and training opportunities for youth in the areas of theatre, dance, music, and video. Based in Vero Beach, FL, the Riverside Theatre Education Program is committed to promoting educational opportunities to students of all ages by producing quality work for young people and families; providing the community with a broad range of educational opportunities that will cultivate tomorrow’s artists and audiences while building the skills for today; creating a nurturing and collaborative environment for all educators, students, parents, and staff; connecting students to the professional artists, productions, and opportunities at Riverside Theatre; and transforming lives through the study, exploration, and creation of theatre.

• GYAC Gifford Youth Achievement Center received the Excellence in Acting Award.
• GYAC’s Rhyen Beasley and Kadence Weaver were named Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, a select group of outstanding performers.
• GYAC presented Annie JR. to Brion Watson, Performer (Hamilton, Wicked, MJ the Musical); Jacob Harvey, Managing Artistic Director, Fine Arts Building and Studebaker Theater; and Katy Geraghty, Broadway actor, (Into the Woods, Groundhog Day)
  • “GYAC/Riverside Partnership showed us what it means to be community and to support each other. Their presentation showed us that their strength is being able to bring themselves to the characters,” said Brion Watson.
  • “This group had really great staging and acting. The cast works really well together, and everyone has a moment to shine in this Annie. This cast is clearly so supportive of each other and wants each and every one of their cast members to succeed. Their hard work really paid off. They are inspiring!” said Jacob Harvey.
  • “I love how much the kids were able to shine in their own specific roles and way. They clearly love performing,” added Katy Geraghty.
• GYAC Gifford Youth Achievement Center’s mission is to create, with God’s guidance, educational, cultural and social opportunities that enhance the lives of the youth and families we serve. Founded in 1998, with the sole purpose of increasing the graduation rate of African Americans in the Gifford Community, GYAC has flexed and flourished, expanding based upon the needs of the community. What began as a community center with two full-time staff has transformed into a bustling campus complete with classrooms, two computer labs, an outdoor patio and a full- size gymnasium. With academics in focus, GYAC has played a crucial role in increasing the graduation rate of Indian River County’s African American population from 23% at its inception to over 90% present day. GYAC’s values: Respect, Hope, Perseverance, Hard work, Inclusivity, and Collaboration act as a guiding light throughout the organization. By holding students, parents and employees accountable, we have made tremendous strides towards ensuring the County’s underserved populations have the tools they need to succeed.
• 2024 was their first year at JTF Atlanta, where Gifford Youth Achievement Center received a Freddie G Excellence in Ensemble Work award and a Freddie G Inspiration Award. They received the Ensemble award again in 2025.
• Riverside Theatre
• Riverside Theatre received the Excellence in Ensemble Award.
• Riverside Theatre’s Olive Collom and Jason Paulino were named Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, a select group of outstanding performers. Kasey Toney, Ella Whitelock, Lilia Hayes, and Olive Collom made it to the call-back to a yet-to-be announced special project promoting musical theater in schools.
• Riverside Theatre presented Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. to Marissa Davis, Theatre Educator – iTheatrics Workshop Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas (Music Director) / Former Voice Teacher at the Professional Performing Arts School; Renita James, Assistant Director of Education and Audience Engagement – Disney Theatrical Group; and Beau Harmon, Performer/Choreographer (“So You Think You Can Dance,” Death Becomes Her).

About The 2026 JTF Atlanta

Called a “rousing celebration of theatre” by The New York Times, the Junior Theater Festival applauds and empowers young people and educators creating student-driven musical theater around the globe. 

The 2026 JTF Atlanta was an incredible weekend of singing, dancing, acting, and learning. 141 groups from 31 states, as well as Washington, DC Australia, England, France, Malta, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. participated in the festival.

Appearances at JTF Atlanta included Isaiah Bailey (The Phantom of the Opera), DB Bonds (Kinky Boots), Frank DiLella (NY1), Tyler Joseph Ellis (Shucked), Katy Geraghty (Into the Woods), Max Antonio Gonzalez (Huzzah!), Morgan Siobhan Green (Hadestown), Beau Harmon (“So You Think You Can Dance”), Briga Heelan (Once Upon a One More Time), Cori Jaskier (Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile), Taylor Iman Jones (Hamilton), Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone), Kelly Lomonte (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom), Brittney Mack (Six The Musical), JTF alum Nicholas Matos (Smash), Jodi Picoult (NYT Best Selling Author), JTF alum Amanda Reid (Hell’s Kitchen), Matthew Lee Robinson (Atlantis), Rob Rokicki (The Lightning Thief Musical), Jasmine Amy Rogers (BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical), Darian Sanders (The Lion King), Kay Sibal (Six The Musical), Jacob Ryan Smith (Shelter Me), Mark Sonnenblick (KPOP Demon Hunters), and Brion Marquis Watson (MJ The Musical).

Groups enjoyed a New Works Showcase of performance selections from upcoming Broadway Junior® musicals presented by JTF groups, and other mainstage performances featuring powerhouse Broadway guests and took part in workshops.

About iTheatrics and the Junior Theater Festivals

iTheatrics and the Junior Theater Group produce the Junior Theater Festivals. Based in New York City, for the last decade iTheatrics has established itself as the world’s leading authority on musical theater for young people. iTheatrics works with leading public and private companies around the world—including the Kennedy Center, NBC, and all the leading theatrical licensors—to make sure that young people everywhere have access to quality musical theater programs. 

In addition to the Junior Theater Festival Atlanta, iTheatrics produces, hosts, and supports Junior Theater Festivals and one-day Junior Theater Celebrations in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.