Tag: helena padial

At Helena Padial’s middle school production of Bye Bye Birdie, Chita Rivera—yes, that Chita Rivera—came to watch. When she met the musical theater legend backstage, Padial burst into tears of disbelief, and Rivera gave her a hug. Fast-forward to 2026 and Padial, at 21, has been named Broadway’s Next Triple Threat, a new award created […]

The Chita Rivera Awards and the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation have announced the finalists for the first-ever “Broadway’s Next Triple Threat” talent search! Launched earlier this year, the initiative honors the legacy of Broadway icon Chita Rivera. Hundreds of young performing artists ages 18–25 applied to be part of the inaugural cohort, and […]