NEW YORK – The Springboard to Design (SB2D) Summer Program, the tuition-free theatre design mentorship and education program for students from underrepresented communities, concluded its record-breaking 2026 program after attracting more than 4,500 applicants from 70 countries and territories — the largest response in the initiative's history. During the week-long intensive, students collaborated, created, and learned alongside many of Broadway's most accomplished designers.
Founded by by Design Action and led by Tony Award-winning artists Clint Ramos and David Zinn, the immersive weeklong program brought together aspiring theatre designers for unparalleled access to Broadway artists, professional mentors, and behind-the-scenes experiences that introduced students to careers across scenic, costume, lighting, projection, sound, props, wigs, and production design.
Hosted at the Harvey Fierstein Theatre Lab at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in New York City, the 2026 program combined hands-on workshops with career development, professional mentorship, and exclusive Broadway experiences. Theatre designers are essential storytellers who build worlds and create work that brings performances to life.
Throughout the week, students built scenic model boxes with Tony Award-winner Donyale Werle; explored projection, lighting, props, sound, costume, and wig design through workshops led by acclaimed industry professionals; learned career advocacy and professional development from leaders across the theatre industry; and participated in conversations with the creative team behind the acclaimed CATS: The Jellicle Ball.
Students also gained unprecedented behind-the-scenes access through a costume shop visit at Tricorne, a professional wig shop demonstration, and a backstage tour of Ragtime. Their Broadway experiences included attending performances of Ragtime, Stranger Things, CATS: The Jellicle Ball, Spelling Bee, The Lost Boys, and A Walk on the Moon.
"One of the most exciting parts of the week is watching students realize that their ideas matter," said Clint Ramos and David Zinn. "By the end of the program, they're speaking the language of collaboration, taking creative risks, and seeing themselves as future designers. That's exactly what Springboard to Design was created to do."
“This was the best week of my life and I don't know how it could get better. Not specifically the things we did but the feeling I had of feeling like I belonged somewhere,” said a Springboard to Design student.
The overwhelming response to this year's application cycle underscores the growing demand for accessible theatre design education. For many participants, Springboard to Design is their first opportunity to study theatre design in a professional environment and connect directly with the artists shaping Broadway today.
Despite years of conversation around equity in the performing arts, significant disparities remain within theatre design. Springboard to Design was created to help build a more representative pipeline by providing mentorship, professional connections, and educational opportunities for students from historically underrepresented communities.
Springboard to Design is an initiative founded by Design Action, an intergenerational coalition of BIPOC and white designers working to end racial inequities in North American theatre. Since its launch in collaboration with the American Theatre Wing in 2021, the program has become one of the country's leading educational initiatives dedicated to introducing the next generation of theatrical designers to the profession.
LOOKING AHEAD: THE SPRINGBOARD TO DESIGN FELLOWSHIP
Building on the success of its summer intensive, Springboard to Design has launched a tuition-free Fellowship Program. Designed for high school students and emerging designers ages 18–25, the year-long virtual initiative will pair each Fellow with a professional mentor in scenic, costume, lighting, projection, sound, or hair & makeup design, providing personalized guidance, industry insight, and creative feedback.
SB2D pulls Fellowship Mentors from its esteemed community of Guest Artists, who are among the industry’s most celebrated designers. Fellows will be mentored by Springboard to Design Guest Artists — collectively recipients of 123 Tony Award nominations and 33 Tony Awards.
The program will begin in the Fall of 2027, running over the course of an academic year through Spring 2028, with regular mentor meetings, cohort sessions, and workshops scheduled throughout.
Applications are now open through March 31, 2027. For eligibility requirements and application information, visit Springboard2Design.untap.us.
ABOUT DESIGN ACTION
Design Action is an intergenerational coalition of BIPOC and white designers working to end racial inequities in the North American Theater by confronting racism in our workplace and forging new pathways into the industry for rising designers of color.
ABOUT CO ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CLINT RAMOS
Clint Ramos is a Tony Award-winning creative director, designer, and producer. Most recently, he designed costumes for The Metropolitan Opera’s sold-out production of Tristan und Isolde. He produced Theater Group Asia’s sold-out production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, starring Lea Salonga, Arielle Jacobs and featuring a cast of Filipinos and Filipino Americans. Ramos serves as the Visual Director for Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City, where he reimagines the entire Lincoln Center campus each summer into a vibrant stage for more than 300 events that serve New York City’s diverse communities. He also serves as Artist-in-Residence at Lincoln Center.
Ramos was a lead producer of the groundbreaking Broadway musical Here Lies Love, and is currently the Producing Creative Director for Encores! at New York City Center. As a designer, Ramos has created over 200 productions across theater, opera, and dance. His Broadway credits include Maybe Happy Ending, Eureka Day, Here Lies Love, KPOP and Slave Play.
ABOUT CO ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DAVID ZINN
Recent work on Broadway includes scenery for: Liberation, The Last 5 Years, Stereophonic, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, The Notebook, Kimberly Akimbo, Funny Girl and The Humans; scenery and costumes for Boys in the Band, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Fun Home, and costume design for Enemy of the People and A Doll’s House Part 2. Off-Broadway: Playwright’s Horizons, The Shed, Roundabout, MTC, NYTW, Lincoln Center Theater, 2nd Stage, and The Public. Also: A.C.T., A.R.T, Berkeley Rep, Pasadena Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, and Steppenwolf. In London, he recently opened Here We Are at the National (set and costume design) and Stereophonic at the Duke of York’s. In Europe, he’s designed sets and costumes for the Berlin Staatsoper and at Theater Basel.
Zinn has received Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic’s Circle, Hewes and Obie Awards for his work.