Springboard to Design (SB2D), a tuition-free theatrical design mentorship and education program for students from under-represented communities, including those who have limited or no access to theater, is now accepting applications for its summer 2026 program in NYC. The week-long intensive, led by Tony Award-winning designers Clint Ramos and David Zinn, offers high-school students the chance to dive into the world of theatrical design, with no experience required. Through hands-on workshops, seminars, and access to Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, students will explore set, costume, lighting, projection, hair, make-up, and sound design under the mentorship of award-winning theater professionals.
Running from July 19–25, 2026, in The Harvey Fierstein Theatre Lab of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, the program includes free tuition, housing, and supplies for accepted applicants. Current national and international high-school seniors, graduating in the spring of 2026, are eligible to apply. The application, with a deadline of December 15, 2025, requires a brief questionnaire, three short written responses, an introduction video, one original piece of artwork (visual or aural), two references, a parent or guardian’s acknowledgement of the commitment, and a $25 application fee, which goes directly back into the program (waivers available upon request).
“Springboard to Design is close to my heart because it gives young artists from under-represented communities the chance to see themselves in this industry,” said Ramos, who also serves as Lincoln Center’s Artist-In-Residence. Zinn noted, “This program affirms that they have the power to build meaningful, fulfilling careers. Springboard to Design opens the door to possibilities students may never have realized were within reach. Collaborating with award-winning designers and craftspeople, seeing productions, and experiencing the world behind-the-scenes allows students to grow their confidence, their creativity, and their sense of community.”
Incubated in collaboration with the American Theatre Wing in 2021, SB2D is an initiative by Design Action, an inter-generational coalition of BIPOC and white designers working to end racial inequities in North American theater and forging new pathways into the industry for rising designers of color. The programwas recognized by the 2022 and 2023 Anthem Awards as a Bronze Winner for Education, Arts, & Culture – Community Engagement.
For more information, and to access the application, click here.