2019 Excellence In Theatre Education Tony Awarded to Madeline Michel of Charlottesville
(photo provided by Madeline Michel)
The Tony Awards have announced that Theater Director Madeline Michel from Monticello High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, will receive the 2019 Excellence in Theatre Education Award, and award which was was cofounded in 2014 by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to recognize top K-12 drama teachers and to celebrate arts education. Michel will receive her award at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards on June 9, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
According to press materials, "Michel was a standout to the esteemed panel of judges, with stellar recommendations from Albemarle County Public School District, community leaders, parents and students alike. Her student-written and performed plays have won numerous regional awards, including this year's grand prize at the Virginia Theatre Conference. Among many accomplishments, it was Michel's creation of an inclusive drama program, inviting students from all walks of life, to express themselves freely onstage that resonated so strongly."
"This program is not about me, because it has to be about my students," Michel said in a statement. "They are our future. They are the people that are going to change the world and make it better. These are the kids who give me so much hope in some very dark times."
