CMU & The Tony Awards
Carnegie Mellon University is the exclusive higher education partner of The Tony Awards
CMU recognizes the transformative power of theatre education and has had a longstanding impact on Broadway, leading to an exclusive higher education partnership with The Tony Awards. The two organizations partnered to create the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, celebrating the teachers who turn passion into performance.
Over a Decade of Partnership
Since 2015, Carnegie Mellon University has partnered with The Tony Awards to celebrate the impact of education in the theatre arts. As part of the collaboration, CMU and The Tony Awards jointly created the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, which honors kindergarten through high school (K-12) theatre educators for their dedication to inspiring the next generation of theatre kids. Photo by Getty Images.
Passion for Theatre Education
2026 Excellence in Theatre Education Award winner, Freddie Hendricks, speaks about the importance of theatre education from his classroom at Utopian Academy for the Arts in Ellenwood, Georgia.
2026 Alumna Earns a Tony Award
Producer Jamie deRoy (1967), School of Drama alumna, won a Tony Award for her work in “Schmigadoon!” (Best Musical).
Jules Fisher Receives the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Tony Award
CMU alumnus Jules Fisher has been nominated 24 times for Tony Awards as a lighting designer, more than any other lighting designer, and has won nine Tony Awards for his work in lighting design, a record in the category.
A History of Theatre Excellence
2015
Inaugural Excellence in Theatre Education Award
CMU becomes the exclusive Tonys higher education partner.
