Norman and Randall Win 2026 Fred Ebb Award
Sam Norman and Eliza Randall will receive the emerging musical theatre songwriting honor at an invite-only ceremony at 54 Below.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Arts Theater — General
The Fred Ebb Foundation has named Sam Norman and Eliza Randall winners of the 2026 Fred Ebb Award, which recognizes excellence in emerging musical theatre songwriting. A six-judge panel selected this year's honorees.
Why it matters
The award spotlights early-career musical theatre writers whose works have already moved through development programs in New York and England. The honor offers recognition at a stage when emerging songwriters often seek broader industry visibility.
Norman and Randall's musical The Debutantes was developed at Manhattan Musical Theatre Lab and Newport NewWorks, while Echolocation won the Stiles + Drewe Mentorship Award and received an Arts Council England grant. The stub does not report production budgets, ticket sales, or commercial performance for either show.
The players
Fred Ebb Foundation
The foundation honors the legacy of the lyricist Fred Ebb, known for his work on Broadway musicals including Cabaret and Chicago.
Bebe Neuwirth
Neuwirth is a Tony Award-winning actress known for her stage work and her role as Lilith Sternin on the sitcom Cheers.
The details
Norman and Randall will receive the honor from Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth at a ceremony held at 54 Below on December 7. The panel comprised Mitchell S. Bernard, Jan Bender, Francis Jue, David Loud, and Betsy Wolfe.
Timeline
2026: Norman and Randall are named winners of the Fred Ebb Award.
December 7: Honors are presented at an invite-only ceremony at 54 Below.
Season Trajectory
The honorees' musicals were developed through established American and British new-works programs, including Manhattan Musical Theatre Lab and Theatre Royal Plymouth's Experiment program. The award adds recognition to that development pipeline for emerging songwriters.
Attendance at the 54 Below ceremony is by invitation only, so general audiences cannot attend the presentation. The stub does not indicate whether the honorees' musicals have public performance dates.
The takeaway
Emerging musical theatre writers are often developed through workshop programs before reaching major productions, and recognition like the Fred Ebb Award can help draw attention to that early work. Readers following new musicals can watch for later productions of these honorees' shows.
Further reading
For more on New York stage developments, see Arts Theater — General.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Playbill.
