And our winners are ...

A look back at the first five Excellence in Theatre Education Award Winners

In 2014, Carnegie Mellon University became the first, exclusive higher education partner of the Tony Awards, a partnership created to recognize the 100th anniversary of CMU's School of Drama, the first degree-granting drama program in the United States. Through the affiliation with The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, Carnegie Mellon grants an annual award to a teacher who inspired students through theater arts education: the Excellence in Theatre Education Award (EITEA).

The first award was presented in 2015 and, now, five years after inaugural winner Corey Mitchell gave his acceptance speech, all EITEA winners recount the differences in their lives, their schools and, in some cases, their students' lives, as a result of receiving the honor.

Check out these profiles of the winners from the past five years, and gain a peek inside their experience — from learning they won, to their whirlwind weekend in New York City, the benefits of being named the winner, and what changes have occurred as a result of winning.