June is flying by—and while it’s a moment to wind down and ease into summer break, it’s also a time to reflect on the past year in theatre, from classroom productions to Broadway stages, and celebrate the work behind it all. Did you watch the Tony Awards? I always look forward to the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, which this year honored Gary Edwin Robinson of Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn.
“I love working with my students to help them find the theatre in themselves when they shout, ‘I got it. Mr. Robinson! I found it!’ That is what brings me the joy of teaching theatre,” said Robinson in his acceptance speech. “They’re ready to see the many different pathways to a career in the field. They’re open to all the possibilities.”
It’s a big week for theatre education: the Jimmy Awards take place this evening at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre, hosted by Josh Groban, while thousands of students and teachers gather in Indiana for the week-long 2025 International Thespian Festival. Jimmy Awards highlight standout performances from school shows, while the International Thespian Festival showcases remounts of the best high school theatre productions. All the while, summer camps are kicking off across the country.
I spoke with Sarah Conarro of The Painted Cloud, a community-minded arts education organization in Brooklyn. This week, as part of a summer camp, a group of elementary students began the exploratory process of writing a song together, which will culminate in a music video performance. “This summer song is about how one person can catalyze change, and that collectively, we can make a lot of change,” says Conarro.
This group of kindergarten through fifth-grade students is exploring the theme of transformation through movement, song, video, and creative projects — including natural dyeing. “Even if they don’t become painters or musicians or artists, it doesn’t matter,” says Conarro. They’re learning about how to catalyze change!
Whether your students are transforming this week on a Broadway stage or exploring big ideas at arts camp, know that your work matters, no matter if they pursue a career in the arts or grow into leaders in other fields.

Last month, artists and leaders gathered for the 2025 TYA/USA Festival & Conference in Washington, D.C., to support these young learners. Check out this recap to see how attendees found optimism, even amid budget cuts and ongoing challenges facing arts education.
Wishing you a restful summer break!
Around the Web
- Check out this video of the Jimmy Awards contestants rehearsing for the big night!
- In case you missed it, here’s a clip from the Tony Awards featuring Gary Edwin Robinson.
- The Gavin Creel Fellowships is a new annual program that will grant $25,000 to five emerging theatre actors.
- Love this piece on the findings from a Wallace Foundation report measuring the impact of the arts on students’ well-being.
- Read all about Childsplay of Tempe, Arizona.
- The Educational Theatre Association has recognized Waukee Community School District in Iowa as a Premier Community for Theatre Education.
- Designers Seo Yun and Sveta Moroz are the 2025 recipients of the Willa Kim Costume Design Scholarship.
- Here’s a great spotlight on Martin Luther King High School’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone JR.
- An update on California’s Prop. 28 arts education initiative.
- Critics! Applications for the next BIPOC Critics Lab cohort are open until July 7th.
On Social Media
Teachers, what was your biggest teaching "win" this past school year?
Dan Pelletier
We did The Play That Goes Wrong, and no one was injured.
Katie O’Neil Herring
I’d love to say that it was our really successful production of Spelling Bee, but my biggest win was the young lady in my acting class who overcame really severe anxiety and discovered that she is an incredibly talented actor. We both cried!
Ingrid Myers
Making it to the end of my retirement year.
Scott Richburg
Teaching Death of a Salesman at the end of the year to freshman high school students. Profound impact.
BETH MARSHALL PRESENTS
Seeing many young adults in their 20s that I coached, taught, or manage(d) be thriving in their respective theatre fields…literally from Broadway to community as well as offstage in tech/design or aiding in running Fringe Fests or becoming teachers themselves. It’s the best way to feel old.
Read more great responses here.
From the Archives
This 2024 piece examines the state of summer festivals, a foundational experience for college theatre students.

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