Last Sunday, the Tony Award for theater education was awarded to Gary Edwin Robinson, a high school teacher from Brooklyn. It was the first was ever awarded to someone from New York State. Out of 24 finalists, they nominated Robinson because of his commitment to giving his students opportunities to learn about theater outside of the classroom.

The Tony Award Ffoundation says that they nominate the teacher “who embodies the highest standards of the profession and demonstrates a positive impact on the lives of students, advancement of the theatre profession and a commitment to excellence.” The award was introduced in 2014, yet Robinson was the first teacher ever to be nominated from New York, despite the state being known as the “capital of theater”. Carnegie Mellon’s president Farnam Jahanian said, “Edwin’s dedication to empowering the next generation of artists, both on and off the stage, is both profound and inspiring.”

Robinson has been a long time teacher at the Boys and Girls School in Brooklyn, teaching five different classes and about 100 students a day. His theater course is a three-year long program that includes a lot of opportunities for the students to learn from professionals. He constantly takes his students to see Broadway shows, take masterclasses from Broadway stars, and tour colleges. Just this year so far, they have watched Hell’s Kitchen, Gypsy, A Wonderful World, and much more.

Robinson explains just how impactful these trips are to them, saying “Many of them walk around the whole day holding the Playbill. I said, ‘You can put it away.’ But it’s like this little Broadway treasure that they have in their hand. And that makes me proud because I know that it has had a major impact on them.”

Robinson does not limit his class to students who want to pursue theater later in life. He encourages anyone to take his course, emphasizing that theater can help in any part of life.

“As I am working with my students, it’s always, ‘How is theater going to help develop you in whatever area you’re going into?’”, said Gary Robinson. For example, he would tell students aspiring to pursue sports, “Theater can make you a better communicator and can even help when you do commercial endorsements.”

The award also gives a 10,000 dollar donation to Robinson’s theater program, as well as a drama masterclass for his students with Carnegie Mellon professors.