CJay Philip, this year’s recipient of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award
Every time the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys or the (insert the awards program of your choice) air, I hear grousing about how ridiculous it is that artists get dressed up to congratulate each other and, I’ve been told, “celebrate their egos.”
I don’t see it that way. I think they are celebrating accomplishments, not ego. And why shouldn’t they? We all crave recognition and appreciation, and we often act as if there is a limited supply of both. We are sooooooo careful about offering them.
That said, my grouse is that our culture doesn’t make room to celebrate achievement in other professions. Even when there are honors in other fields (I’m thinking of the Pulitzer Prizes for journalists or the Pritzker prize for architects, for example), our society barely notices. But at least the honors happen. Where are the awards for paramedics or nurses or … you get the idea.
So, I’m deeply grateful that for nearly a decade now the Tony Awards telecast, on national television, has made time to recognize the recipient of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award. Yep – a teacher! The award is a cooperative effort between the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University, and the potential honorees are nominated by their students and other members of the public. This year’s honoree is CJay Philip, founder and creative director of Dance & Bmore Theatre Programs in Baltimore, Maryland. I can’t overstate the power of acknowledging teachers in such a public and laudatory way. In presenting the award, the Tonys leave no doubt that teaching and learning are a vital part of the artistic process – and, by extension, of every process.
The award presentation is preceded by a video highlighting the teacher’s work. It’s inspiring to see the passion with which students express their appreciation for what teachers have given them. Each recipient is unique, of course, but they all seem to share two qualities. Students thank the teachers for seeing something in them that the student him- or herself hadn’t seen, and students thank them for helping them accomplish things they didn’t know they could accomplish.
I’ve never been a performing artist, but I know firsthand that teachers change lives. I think that’s one of the things that attracts us to teaching. Still, it can a challenge to keep rewards like that top of mind amidst the day-to-day distractions present in every classroom. Whenever you need to re-charge those batteries, I encourage you to go to YouTube to watch some of the nominating videos and acceptance speeches from previous winners. (You can find them by going to www.youtube.com and searching for “excellence in theatre education tony award”).
And if you know a theater teacher you feel deserves to be recognized, it’s not too early to nominate someone for the 2025 award. You can get further information here: www.tonyawards.com/education-award/
I know we’re not in this to win awards, but recognition is nice, isn’t it?
