10/06/2026
Every year at our Broadway gala we honor an OMB star with the Clay Stefanki Award. This award is named for Clay Stefanki, a professional actor in New York City who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer and passed away at the age of 33 on November 5, 2020.
In partnership with the Stefanki family, tennis star Andy Roddick, and model/actress Brooklyn Decker, the Clay Stefanki Award is presented annually to one or more inspiring children who exemplify the Only Make Believe values of inclusiveness, participation, openness, and play.
This year, the Stefanki Award honoree is Hazel Estrin.
Seven-year-old Hazel Estrin is a spirited, theatrical, playful student at Tribeca Preparatory who can almost always be found with her nose in a book or making someone laugh. Affectionately known as “Princess Hazel” (her sign name is the ASL sign for princess), she loves dressing up, swimming, playing chase, cats, bunnies, anything Hello Kitty and perfecting her very best Labubu face.
Hazel is Deaf and communicates through a mix of ASL and spoken words. Her animated facial expressions and gestures make her a natural star of the show during Only Make Believe. And while Hazel loves the spotlight, she loves sharing it with others just as much. She encourages her classmates to participate, applauds her friends, and makes sure everyone feels included.
After a long journey to finding her voice and her own ways to communicate, being recognized with the Clay Stefanki Award is especially meaningful. Hazel reminds us that communication comes in many forms, and that joy is even better when everyone is invited in.
