BroadwayWorld Awards Celebrate New Mexico Talent — NME Award Submissions Now Open

New Mexico’s theatre scene shone brightly on the national stage this month as BroadwayWorld announced the winners of its 2025 Regional Awards — and Albuquerque and Santa Fe artists showed up in full force. The annual awards celebrate productions staged between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, with voting from fans, artists, and theatre lovers across the globe. This year, awards expanded to more than 100 cities across the United States and beyond — including Canada, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia — making New Mexico’s wins feel bigger than ever.

And win we did.

Santa Fe Playhouse emerged as one of the biggest local standouts of the season, sweeping major categories with its productions of Something Rotten! and Pueblo Revolt. The theater took home Best Musical, Best Ensemble, Best Music Direction (Gretchen Amstutz), and Best Direction of a Musical (Anna Hogan) for Something Rotten!, proving that Renaissance-era satire and tap shoes translate beautifully in the high desert.

Meanwhile, Pueblo Revolt nabbed honors for Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (Tara Moses), and Best New Play or Musical, with Bradley Lewis recognized as Best Performer in a Play. The production blended Native history, artistic boldness, and theatrical innovation — a trifecta that clearly resonated with audiences statewide.

Santa Fe Playhouse rounded out its sweep by earning the title Favorite Local Theatre, a nod to its enduring creative impact and its homegrown support system.

Not to be outdone, Albuquerque-area and Four Corners companies made their presence known as well. Cardboard Playhouse Theatre Company — no stranger to big talent delivered by small actors — picked up wins for Best Choreography (Larry Joseph Aguilar & Nathan Clifford) and Best Costume Design (Ann Marie Pennington) for Matilda the Musical. Nicholas Hogan added to the show’s accolades with Best Lighting Design, highlighting the fierce creative capacity inside one of Albuquerque’s most beloved all-ages theatres.

BreakingEven stepped into the spotlight with Best Dance Production for Sing to Me, Muse, a poetic and electrifying movement narrative that continues to push the boundaries of contemporary dance in the state.

Across the northwest region, Four Corners Musical Theatre Company earned multiple honors for Hairspray and The Little Mermaid. Sean McCall captured Best Performer in a Musical for his work in Hairspray, while Ed Hasenbalg’s immersive audio earned Best Sound Design. Scenic designer Cruz Hernandez and supporting actor Zayne Thomie added to the tally with wins for The Little Mermaid.

Opera also had its moment, as The Santa Fe Opera’s stunning staging of La Bohème took home Best Production of an Opera, reminding audiences how deeply New Mexico’s reputation reaches across artistic genres.

Rounding out the list, Albuquerque Little Theatre’s gripping staging of A Streetcar Named Desire featured award-winning work from Timothy Chivalette, who secured Best Supporting Performer in a Play.

Whether in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Farmington, or beyond, this year’s BroadwayWorld results make one thing unmistakably clear: New Mexico’s theatre community is bold, growing, and demanding attention far beyond its borders.

And speaking of celebrating excellence…

Community submissions are now open for the 2026 New Mexico Entertainment Awards.

If you’ve been wowed by an artist, stage manager, dancer, stagehand, costume designer, choreographer, performer — or anyone else turning lights on inside New Mexico’s venues — now is your chance to lift them up.

The New Mexico Entertainment Awards spotlight the creators, storytellers, and behind-the-scenes magicians who make our entertainment and events community thrive. Local audiences decide the nominees, and every submission counts.

As the BroadwayWorld awards just proved, New Mexico talent doesn’t just show up. It shows out.

Submit your nominations now — and let’s make sure the people shaping our stories get the spotlight they deserve.

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