Students representing Wild Horse Children’s Theater earned recognition at the 2026 Junior Theater Festival West (JTF West). The monumental weekend dedicated to rewarding and celebrating excellent student-driven musical theater programs happened February 6-8, 2026, at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento, Calif.
Carson City-based Wild Horse Children’s Theater received the Excellence in Dance Award. Wild Horse Children’s Theater’s Brielle Caron and Sydney McGruder were named Junior Theater Festival All-Stars, a select group of outstanding performers. Sydney McGruder made it to the call-back to a yet-to-be announced special project promoting musical theater in schools.
At the festival, each group performed 15 minutes of a Broadway Junior musical for adjudicators. Wild Horse Children’s Theater presented Beetlejuice JR to Krista Carson Elhai, theatre instructor, California State University, East Bay; Rob Rokicki, Educator and Broadway composer of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical; and Max Antonio Gonzalez, actor and choreographer (HUZZAH!at the Old Globe and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile at Pasadena Playhouse).
“From the opening moment, this cast brought me into the spooky world of Beetlejuice! The storytelling of this complex plot was easy to follow, and there were strong character choices from everyone,” said Elhai.
“I loved the fantastic physicality and expressive faces of this group! You could tell they were having an absolute blast. This theater program is nurturing exciting and dynamic performers who work well as a team and come up with strong characters,” noted Rokicki.
Gonzalez added, “The comedy throughout the presentation was great! Wild Horse Children’s Theater has really strong actors who bring their unique specificity to characters. The program clearly teaches students not to replicate performances but to allow actors the opportunity to make their own choices. The program seems to be very rewarding to the young people involved and that is so important.”
Wild Horse Children’s Theater (WHCT) is a Carson City, NV based non-profit focused on performing arts education, theater production, and community outreach. As the resident company at the Brewery Arts Center (BAC), WHCT creates stage experiences that challenge, support, and inspire both actors and audiences.
Our core programs include:
- mainstage productions, led by high school actors, with an emphasis on strong storytelling, technical skill, and shows that feel bigger than “school theater.”
- rising stars productions, designed for ages 5 to 14, where young performers build confidence, learn stage basics, and discover the joy of being part of a cast.
- summer on Broadway, a two-week summer camp that ends with a fully staged performance, giving students a taste of the entire rehearsal and production process.
Since 2007, WHCT has produced more than 54 shows and welcomed over 12,000 audience members. Because interest continues to grow, we often double-cast productions to give more students the chance to perform. Audition turnout regularly exceeds 100 performers per show, and two-cast productions have become part of how we meet that excitement and demand.
WHCT operates under a no-child-turned-away policy. Students can receive scholarships through our In The Wings Scholarship Fund, and families may also offset tuition through approved volunteer hours. Inclusivity is built into our process, and we provide accommodations for performers with learning and physical disabilities, including ADHD, Asperger’s, MS, and mobility-related needs. At Wild Horse, theater is more than a show or a class. It’s a place where young people learn to trust their voice, try brave creative choices, build real friendships, and grow into themselves while doing work they can be proud of.
The group has enjoyed success at the Junior Theater Festival in the past, earning an Excellence in Acting award (2025 JTF West), a Freddie G award for Excellence in Dance (2022 JTF West), Freddie G Excellence in Music awards (2023, 2020 and 2018 JTF West), as well as a Freddie G for Excellence in Ensemble Work award (2019 JTF West). The group won the 2022 JTF West Tech Olympics, where students compete doing tech theater tasks such as setting props, quick costume changes and taping out diagrams. Its students have earned recognition as well. Anuhea Azevedo (2023 JTF West) won a Freddie G Outstanding Individual Performance award. Alexa Haight (2017 JTF West) won a Freddie G Excellent Individual Performance award. Wild Horse Children’s Theater’s Josh Mercer (2018 JTF West) was named to Tech Theater All-Stars, a select group of Tech All-Stars who worked side-by-side with industry professionals on helping to run festival main stage events. Laura Bennett also performed in a virtual sneak peek productions of Jason Robert Brown’s 13 JR. at the 2021 JTF Online Extravaganza!
About The 2026 JTF West
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 West was an incredible weekend of singing, dancing, acting, and learning. 64 groups representing 21 states, as well as Canada and New Zealand, attended JTF West 2026, making it the largest JTF West ever.
Mainstage appearances included Sarah Jane Arnegger (AKA NYC), Tony Award-winning actor Stephanie J. Block (Wicked, The Cher Show), Frank DiLella (Host of NY1’s “On Stage”), actor Max Antonio Gonzalez (Cinderella), Cori Jaskier (Ratatouille the TikTok Musical), composer Daniel Mertzlufft (Ratatouille the TikTok Musical), Samantha Pauly (Six, The Great Gatsby), Grant Reynolds (Mamma Mia), composer Rob Rokicki (The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical), George Salazar (Be More Chill), Michael James Scott (Aladdin), actor and composer Jacob Ryan Smith (Relapse: A New Musical), and composer Deborah Wicks La Puma (She Persisted).
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 West, iTheatrics produces, hosts, and supports Junior Theater Festivals and one-day Junior Theater Celebrations in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
Past festival attendees have included Ahrens & Flaherty, Skylar Astin, Joshua Bassett, Shoshana Bean, Sierra Boggess, Nicholas Christopher, Darren Criss, Zac Efron, Cynthia Erivo, Megan Hilty, Arielle Jacobs, Kenny Leon, Caissie Levy, Kara Lindsay, Ryan McCartan, Lindsay Mendez, Alan Menken, Pasek and Paul, Ben Platt, Olivia Rodrigo, Samsel & Anderson; Steven Schwartz, Ali Stroker, and Jeanine Tesori.
