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    Artist of the Year 2026 for theater: Gavin Shams
    • May 14, 2026

    He looked every bit the tech guy: black T-shirt, black pants and a big ring of keys on his belt.

    Casual confidence defined Gavin Shams.

    He didn’t bring a laptop or any other props with him to show his lighting design portfolio for stage productions he’s done at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School.

    • Gavin Shams of Dana Point, a senior at St. Margaret’s...

      Gavin Shams of Dana Point, a senior at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Gavin Shams of Dana Point, a senior at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, is the 2026 Artist of the Year for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Instead, Shams cupped his cellphone in his hand and walked up and down the row of seven judges who would determine the winner of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater. But they had already seen his work from what he submitted with his nominee statement.

    He wowed them with the visuals and then wowed them again by talking about how he progressed in his technical skills and how, as he put it in his written statement, he uses light “to support storytelling, emotion, and human connection.”

    Not just a tech guy. An artist.

    “You really feel the emotion through his lighting,” said Candice Martinez-Clasby, theater arts professor at Fullerton College.

    And professional already at 18.

    “It’s so far beyond his age,” Lisa Petersen, vice president of education and engagement at Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, said of the programs Shams has used in his work.

    And then there was the LED tape DMX decoder — a device to translate digital lighting signals — that he built with parts purchased through Amazon on a shoestring budget.

    To be able to do that in an age of cost cutting is a valuable skill for a designer, said Daniel Keeling, assistant professor of teaching in UC Irvine’s Musical Theatre Program.

    “He’s an initiator,” Keeling said.

    Shams, a senior, started out as a stagehand in middle school and gravitated toward the craft of lighting design, creating the mood last year for such shows as “Lord of the Flies,” “The Tartan Review” and “The Great Gatsby.”

    He’s also shown leadership, mentoring younger students. Here’s what his instructor at St. Margaret’s, Gordon Richins, said about that:

    “Gavin is a true leader, guiding a group of high school technicians through tasks such as hanging light plots, patching, and programming the light board.”

    Shams plans to continue studying theater in college, with an emphasis on lighting design. After that, he’d like to work in theme park entertainment, specifically for a certain “magical place” close to home.

    “I want the art that I create to be something truly amazing that is able to connect others and make the arts accessible to countless people. For me as an artist and as a person, I cannot think of a more magical place to create these experiences for others than at Disney.”

    Theater finalists

    In addition to Artist of the Year, the judges selected three finalists from the 16 semifinalists who showcased performing and design.

    • Isaiah Medina of Mission Viejo, a senior at Tesoro High...

      Isaiah Medina of Mission Viejo, a senior at Tesoro High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    1 of 4
    Isaiah Medina of Mission Viejo, a senior at Tesoro High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Isiah Medina: The Tesoro High senior’s role as Orpheus in “Hadestown: Teen Edition” made Medina realize that he was meant to be an actor/singer. “It took me to New York,” he said. That was for the 2025 Jimmy Awards, the National High School Theatre competition, where Medina was a semifinalist in the Top 10 and performed the number “Wait for Me.”

    A tenor, he sang two songs — accompanying himself on guitar to a different “Hadestown” tune, “Epic III” — and performed a monologue for the Artist of the Year judges. He’s been singing all his life, said Medina, 17. (Both of his parents are vocal teachers in his school district.) Medina didn’t become devoted to the theater until high school, choosing as a junior to switch schools because of Tesoro’s performing arts program.

    He plans to continue in theater arts in college, once he finds a program that will work for him financially. “Being a theater major with a lot of debt is not the best combination,” Medina told the judges. Broadway and TV actor Eric Petersen called Medina’s “Hadestown” rendition “spectacular” and said, “He’s so authentic and has got a killer voice that will only get better.”

    • Daniela Nieto of Garden Grove, a senior at Garden Grove...

      Daniela Nieto of Garden Grove, a senior at Garden Grove High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    1 of 4
    Daniela Nieto of Garden Grove, a senior at Garden Grove High School, is a 2026 Artist of the Year finalist for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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    Daniela Nieto: Imagine, she didn’t audition for a role in musical theater until her sophomore year at Garden Grove High. And she had to forego the play because of a conflict with the sport she was also playing at the time, volleyball. But in her junior year, Nieto, 18, auditioned again for “Frozen Jr.” and landed the role of Elsa. Elsa!

    Her teacher, Amanda Mitton, noted how “she is often stopped by people and told ‘You should be on Broadway’.” Well, Broadway is exactly where Nieto hopes to be someday. One of her motivations, she said, is to be a role model for other young performers from ethnic backgrounds that you don’t see represented much on stage.

    In middle school, Nieto wanted to get involved in musical theater but couldn’t because there were no opportunities; her school didn’t put on shows. Now she’s headed for the Cal State Fullerton theater program. “I would absolutely love to be on Broadway and sing, act, and, as previously stated, inspire,” she wrote in her nominee statement. “I love music with my whole soul. I am not myself without it.”

    Nathan Song: His family wasn’t all that thrilled about his involvement in performing arts. Then Song, a senior at Yorba Linda High, traveled to Miami for last year’s National YoungArts Program where he was recognized as Winner with Distinction in Musical Theatre. “Probably the most defining moment in my career,” he told the Artist of the Year judges.

    Nathan Song of Yorba Linda, a senior at Yorba Linda High School, is a theater finalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Rue)
    Nathan Song of Yorba Linda, a senior at Yorba Linda High School, is a theater finalist for Artist of the Year in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Rue)

    More than the award, Song came away from his time among talented young artists from around the country with renewed commitment and enthusiasm. Encouraged to talk more about that, Song nearly leaped out of his chair. “Oh my gosh! I’m so glad you asked.” He shared how when he got back home from Miami, he told his mom, “I gotta do this. It’s something I have to do.”

    His parents are now behind his career choice, he said. Song, 18, plans to follow his passion in college and beyond: “I want to pursue work in musical theatre and performance that demands vulnerability, discipline, and emotional truth, pushing me beyond what I already know while deepening my understanding of the significance of this art form.”

    To support Artist of the Year with a donation, go to: bit.ly/4ekUNMv. Donations are made to Arts Orange County on behalf of Artist of the Year.

    The Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater

    This theater award is sponsored by the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

    The Artist of the Year receives $500 and two framed awards — one to take home, and one to hang at school. Finalists receive $100.

    In addition, Segerstrom Center is providing:

    • A choice of either a full scholarship to the Center’s “5 Days of Broadway High School Summer Camp” or a four-session backstage shadowing opportunity through the Technical Theater Training Program for all four finalists.
    • Firsthand exposure to professional arts careers via masterclasses and workshops, hosted earlier this year.
    • Recognition during the Artist of the Year Awards Celebration at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

    The judges

    Special thanks to the judges who helped evaluate students this year.

    The judges who evaluated the 220 theater nominees and chose the 16 semifinalists were:

    • Melissa Lyons Caldretti, Private voice teacher
    • Cheryl Des Palmes, Tesoro High School
    • Michael Despars, Fullerton Joint Union High School District
    • Robyn Frey-Monell, Rosary Academy
    • Heide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
    • Jenny McClintock, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
    • Eva McCully, Westminster High School
    • Meghan Minguez-Mars, Laguna Beach High School
    • Antonio Moon, Beckman High School
    • Samantha Sanford, Portola High School
    • Marianne Stewart, Cypress High School
    • Kathleen Switzer, El Dorado High School
    • John Walcutt, Orange County School of the Arts
    • Angela Ward, Pacifica Christian High School
    • Madeline Yakell, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts

    The judges who interviewed the semifinalists and chose the three finalists and the Artist of the Year were:

    ​ Orange County Register 

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