Broadway Dreams (Annette Tanner, Founder & President), a leading non-profit performing arts training program, is kicking off its 2023 Summer Intensive Tour “Immerse Yourself” this week in Nashville, TN. The organization is known for its unique brand of intensive musical theater training and master classes taught by the theater industry’s biggest stars and most influential creatives. The tour will offer intensives in twelve U.S. cities as well as London and Europa Park in Rust, Germany. Throughout the weeklong intensives, rising stars in each city will participate in masterclasses focusing on acting, vocal performance, and dance. The program will culminate in public performances – dynamic Broadway-style cabarets held in both large and intimate venues, allowing students to perform alongside their Broadway idols. In addition to the performance opportunities, each student will have a private audition before a panel of Broadway directors, choreographers, music directors, and leading casting directors who will provide valuable feedback throughout the process. Registration is still open in most cities, offering aspiring performers the chance to learn from the best in the industry and take their skills to the next level. For more information, or to register, click here. 

“We are ecstatic to be back on the road this summer with our biggest Summer Intensive tour yet,” said Annette Tanner, Broadway Dreams Founder and President. “At Broadway Dreams, we are passionate about discovering, fostering, and propelling the next generation of musical theater stars. Our programs offer young artists unparalleled opportunities to connect with top industry professionals and decision-makers, which has resulted in numerous breakthroughs for our students. With Dreamers in 19 of the 32 currently running shows on Broadway, Broadway Dreams takes immense pride in shaping the future of musical theater.” 

“Our 2023 Broadway Dreams season theme is Immerse Yourself,” said Nicholas Rodriguez, Broadway Dreams Artistic Director. “After spending nearly 2 years at a distance and on Zoom, we want to dive head first into the collaborative experience. We’re inspired by immersive theater, big bold ideas, thinking outside of the box, and creating in unique spaces. We are thrilled to bring a diverse group of talented, innovative, creative and cutting edge artists to collaborate with students across the country and abroad.”

The 2023 Summer Intensive Tour will launch at Belmont University in Nashville, TN (through June 3) before continuing on to School of the Arts at Central Gwinnett High School in Atlanta, GA (June 4 – 10), Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts in Salt Lake City, UT (June 19 – 24), Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA (June 25 – 27), Enlightened Theatrics in Salem, OR (July 3 – 9), Playhouse Square in Cleveland, OH(July 16 – 21), The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Dallas, TX (July 17 – 21), Ebony Repertory Theatre in Los Angeles, CA (July 23 – 28), Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington, DE (July 30 – August 5), Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC (July 29 – August 5), Florida Children’s Theatre in Fort Lauderdale, FL (August 6 – 12), RWS Studios in New York City (August 19 – 24), RWS Studios in London, England (August 21 – 25), and Europa Park in Rust, Germany (August 27 – September 2).

Joining Broadway Dreams’ Founder and President, Annette Tanner; Artistic Director, Nicholas Rodriguez (Company); and Director of Engagement and Opportunity, Rachel Hoffman, CSA (The Telsey Office), is an impressive roster of Broadway Dreams faculty, including directors, choreographers, and performers such as Emmy Award nominated choreographer Spencer Liff (“So You Think You Can Dance”), Tony Award nominees Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages), Laura Osnes (Cinderella), and Sidney DuPont (Paradise Square), along with Connor Gallagher (Beetlejuice: The Musical), Quentin Earl Darrington(MJ: The Musical), Hailee Kaleem Wright (Paradise Square), writer and composer, Douglas Tappin (I Dream), Melody Mills (Bring it On: The Musical), Jason Goldston(Jagged Little Pill), musical director Charlie Alterman (Pippin), David Eggers (In Transit), Eric Sciotto (Something Rotten!), Tyler Hanes (Cats), Mariah Lyttle (Bad Cinderella), Samantha Sturm (My Fair Lady), Telly Leung (Aladdin), Max Reed (Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark), Otis Sallid (The Piano Lesson), Alysha Umphress (On the Town), Christopher Hanke (How to Succeed…), Nick Adams (Fire Island, Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Gordon Greenberg (Holiday Inn), Matthew Lee Robinson (Atlantis), Alexa Green(Wicked), Greg Haney (Hamilton), The Telsey Office casting director, Rashad Naylor, and more. 

In addition to Broadway Dreams’ traditional workshops and master classes, participants in the Atlanta intensive will have the unique opportunity to work on material from a new musical entitled 1994 with book, music and lyrics by Sidney Dupont, who also serves as the director for the piece, additional lyrics by Hailee Kaleem Wright, associate direction by Amy Marie Seidel, and choreography by Chloe O. Davis. Students in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Dallas will work on a second new work entitled, Diva with book, music and lyrics by Douglas Tappin.

Founded in 2006, Broadway Dreams offers mentorship-driven performing arts training programs throughout the year, drawing on a wide network of teaching artists from the Broadway community, inspiring students to awaken their highest potential. Now in its 17th year, Broadway Dreams has inspired more than 20,000 students in more than 8 countries, including a record 3,200 in-person students in 2022 alone. Broadway Dreams has to-date awarded more than $1.5M in scholarships, with more than 150 students booking professional breakthrough jobs since 2018. The 2022 Showcase featured 52 students from cities across the United States, Kenya, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and Brazil.

Established by casting executive Annette Tanner, Broadway Dreams Foundation (“Broadway Dreams”) empowers aspiring young artists through performing arts training, with a focus on the acting, voice, and dance disciplines. Program intensives are offered nationally and internationally throughout the year and are led by an exceptional faculty of respected entertainment professionals who: assess where all students are in their development process and where they need to be; teach student practical skills that can be applied immediately to elevate their performance levels; guide students to achieve physical, emotional, and artistic self-awareness that can be channeled effectively in their work. 

The Broadway Dreams Board of Directors includes Dr. Elizabeth Faulkner (Chair), Marjorie Wynn (Marketing Chair), Adam C. Sansiveri, Margaret Busch, Michael Cox, Bruce Daitch, Alice Farquhar, Martha Gorjanc, Bernie Jackson, Nanci Lewis, Dannyand Georgina Louchiey, Victoria Morris, Alex Newell, Suzanne Rehl, Chris Roberts, Jerry Schiano, Ryan Stana, Lynne Latham Slear and Ivan Williams.

The Broadway Dreams staff includes General Manager, RRR Creative / Ryan Ratelle; Artistic Director, Nicholas Rodriguez; Director of Engagement and Opportunity, Rachel Hoffman; Director of Development, Joe Finocchario; Director of Advancement, Hannah-Kathleen Hawkshaw; Creative & Marketing Director, Drew Padrutt; Company Manager,Yuvin Lee; and Executive Assistant, Mackenzie Messick. 

For more information on Broadway Dreams and its programs, please visit BroadwayDreams.org.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Producing Director) presents NuWorks 2023, the annual experimental series of self-created work from innovative and diverse artists exploring an eclectic range of genres and techniques using poetry, text, dance, and music. Featuring new works by diverse artists Sora Baek, Jan Barry & Jenny Pacanowski, AJ Layague, Sanhawich Meateanuwat, Lyra Nalan, Sai Somboon, Cody LeRoy Wilson, Mandarin Wu & Da Xu.

Performances begin in repertory Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 7:00PM and will conclude on Sunday afternoon June 11, 2023, at 3:00PM at Theatre 1 at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).

General Admission tickets are priced at $27.50 and available at https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/nuworks-2023/ For additional information, please email info@panasianrep.org or visit the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre website at https://www.panasianrep.org/nuworks2023.

NuWORKS 2023
Schedule of Events

PROGRAM A
Premieres Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 7:00PM
Second performance Friday, June 9, 2022 at 7:00PM

Dream Reunion
Written by Lyra Nalan
Starring Genevive Shi and Stephanie Gong
Directed by Nina Lam

Ting, a Chinese woman living in America, runs over various possibilities of her reunion with her mother back home, hoping to find the right words that lead to a perfect scenario.

Lyra Nalan is a bilingual Chinese writer based in New York. She is the Judith Royer Award-winning playwright for the play Paper Dream and has been nominated for the Susan Blackburn Smith Prize and the Smith Prize for Political Theatre. Her work has been showcased at the Kennedy Center, Cherry Lane Theatre, Round House Theatre, Spooky Action Theatre, Miranda Theatre, Avant Bard Theatre, Tradewind Arts Asian American Artists, Strand Theatre, Three Cats Productions, and Adventure Theatre MTC. Lyra is currently working on a commission for Silk Road Rising theatre. She’s very honored and thrilled to be a part of Pan Asian Rep’s NuWork Festival! EDUCATION: Northwestern University: MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage. WEBSITE: Lyranalan.com.

✶

SELL ME: I Am From North Korea
Written and performed by Sora Baek

On her 15th birthday, a North Korean girl, Jisun makes the heart-wrenching decision to sell herself to an old Chinese man to make money for ger dying mother’s medications. However, after risking everything by crossing the Tumen River into China, she learns that she is not-sellable and finds herself on the streets.

Sora Baek (Writer/Performer) is grateful to Pan Asian Rep and Tisa for this wonderful opportunity to share her work. Sora is a New York-based actor and playwright from South Korea. She has been featured on News 12 NJ and the international Radio Show, Voice of America. Select theater credits include: SELL ME: I am from North Korea (International Human Rights Festival, Emerson Theater Collaborative, Jersey City Theater Center), The Storm, A Christmas Carol, 400 Parts Per Million, and Sworn Virgin (NYC and International Tour) with Blessed Unrest, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Calaveras Repertory Theatre). Sora won Best Actress at the Epidemic Film Festival in San Francisco. She also won Best Lead Performer at the U.K’s Scene Saver and her play was nominated for Best Play. She works with Only Make Believe where she performs interactive theater with children in hospitals and is an associate member of an internationally acclaimed theater company, Blessed Unrest. www.sorabaek.com

✶✶✶

PROGRAM B
Premieres Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 3:00PM
Second performance Tuesday, June 8, 2023 at 7:00PM

A Sisyphean Dream
Written and Devised in Collaboration with Heen Sasithorn,
Vin Kridakorn and Pacha Chantri
Directed by Sanhawich Meateanuwat

A group of immigrant actors meets in a dream space to discuss their dreams as immigrant actors. Through challenges., self-doubts, and homesickness, they wonder if they made the RIGHT choice to travel across the world to pursue their dreams.

Sanhawich Meateanuwat (Playwright) recently moved to New York after graduating from the MFA Directing Program at Illinois State University. In Thailand, they worked as an instructor and resident director at Bangkok University, where they directed, adapted, and translated numerous plays. In 2022, they received the National SDC Directing Fellowship Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. They worked as a Directing Fellow at the National Playwrights Conference 2022 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. This year, they have been selected to be the part of The Drama League’s Directors Project as Directing Assistantships cohort and the KCACTF/LORT ASPIRE Arts Leadership fellows. Website: Sanhawich.com

✶

Bridge Back Home From War
A Conversion through Poetry About the Impact of War
By Jan Barry and Jenny Pacanowski

After returning from the wars overseas, follow two veterans from different eras, different wars, navigate their experiences through an interactive writing workshop with the audience.

Jan Barry is a poet and author whose books include A Citizen’s Guide to Grassroots Campaigns,Earth Songs, Life after War & Other Poems and (co-editor) Winning Hearts & Minds: War Poems byVietnam Veterans. A U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam, he coordinates Warrior Writers workshops forveterans and family members in New Jersey. For more information: www.janbarry.net

Jenny Pacanowski served in the Iraq war in 2004 as a combat medic in the Army. Her military service led her back to the arts, which includes writing and facilitating workshops for veterans, their families and providing guidance on how their communities can support them through theatre. Jenny and her organization, Women Veterans Empowered & Thriving do their best to assist veterans to reintegrate and thrive.

✶✶✶

PROGRAM C
Premieres Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 7:00PM
Second performance Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 7:00PM

Cowgirl Katarungan Is Fixin’ to Fight
Written by AJ Layague

Cowgirl Katarungan is a Filipinx-American truthteller/detective who recounts – and dismantles – four historical vignettes where racism, misogyny, and the eugenics movement took center stage. And she does it in verse.

AJ Layague – she/her (Playwright) immerses into stylized historical worlds which typically center the non-binary and/or people of color, instead of relegating them to side characters or ancillary roles. They steer their narratives and their movement in their worlds, even when these narratives and worlds are bleak and not completely within their control. And as an ethnomusicologist – I lived and studied music in Southeast Asia – I am most interested in how music-cultures and cultures can evolve, respond, and even thrive during colonization. And how they sound and re-sound post-colonization.

✶

Extraordinary Alien
Written and performed by Sai Somboon
Directed by Nana Dakin

A solo show based on Sai’s lived experience expressed through movement/dance, comedy, monologues, and video projections. A reflection on their intersectional identities as a gay, cisgender Thai man, a recently naturalized citizen of the United States, and an actor/dancer navigating the audition and performance landscape in New York.

Sai Samboon (Writer/Performer) is a comedian, actor and dancer from Bangkok, Thailand. Based out of New York City, Sai has performed in Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel, FringeNYC, Astoria Performing Arts Center, Fulton Theatre, Maltz Jupiter, Dallas Musicals, North Shore Music Theatre and Daegu Opera House in Daegu, South Korea. Sai holds a Bachelor of Art in Anthropology from Franklin & Marshall College, and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from The Ohio State University and he is finishing up the Master of Education program at Harvard University.

PROGRAM D
Premieres Wenesday, June 7, 2023 at 7:00PM
Second performance Sunday, June 11, 2023 at 3:00PM

Period.
Written and by Mandarin Wu and Da Xu
Performed by Mandarin Wu
Sound Design by Da Xu

A tragicomedy starring Handy Mandy, as she tap dances through the conflicts of being an aging Asian-American modern woman and actor, navigating through current social climate and regularly incapcitated by the periods in her life.

Mandarin Wu (Playwright/Performer) is a theatre performer singer/dancer/actor/choreographer/ director. Selective credits: “PLEASED” (Pan Asian Rep 2022 NuWorks), A Dream of Red Pavilions (Pan Asian Rep), Follies (APAC), Orfeo ed Euridice(Met Opera). Choreography for Theatre: Skin (Rattlestick), Romance of the Western Chamber(Wildly Productive), Eastbound (NYTB), Legally Blonde_ (National ChiaYi University of Taiwan). NYU Tisch Dance MFA, UC Irvine Dance BA. Musical Theatre faculty at Marymount Manhattan College.

Xa Du (Playwright/Sound Design) Credits: “PLEASED” (Pan Asian Rep 2022 NuWorks), The Brothers Paranormal (East WestPlayers), Uncovered(UCLA). With Los Angeles Movement Arts: Momentum, Catalyst (co-curator), and audio/visual movement works for LACMA’s Art Walk. Live Visuals: Alienware Computers, LuLuLemon. Toured extensively with the seminal Chinese rock band 舌头(SheTou) as photographer and live visual collaborator. 2021 Westben International Performer-Composer Residency participant.

✶

Did My Grandfather Kill My Grandfather?
Written and performed by Cody LeRoy Wilson

A journey to find out what it means to be Asian-American, the piece follows Cody’s mother’s immigration story. Cody investigates their family’s story and gain new perspectives on the meaning of family roots and their Asian Decent.

Cody LeRoy Wilson (Playwright/Performer) makes his Pan Asian Rep debut at Theatre Row and he is beyond grateful for the opportunity. Other NYC credits include Off Broadway: Handbagged (59E59), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Titus Andronicus with NYSX and Prisoners of Qual Dong at Prism Stage. Regional: Book of Will, Handbagged, and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time at Roundhouse Theater, As You Like It at The Folger, Measure For Measure, As You Like It, So Please You at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, and Miss Saigon at Missouri Playhouse. TV/Film: “Russian Doll,” “Impractical Jokers,” “Hello Tomorrow!,” and Money Monster.

For additional information, please visit the website at http://www.panasianrep.org/nuworks-2023.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, celebrating its 46th Milestone Season, is the most veteran Asian American theatre company on the East Coast. Tisa Chang founded Pan Asian Rep in 1977 at Ellen Stewart’s La Mama ETC with the vision to promote equity and access that Asian Americans artists can equally follow, focusing on stories of probing social justice issues with distinctive Off-Broadway Productions, Tours, National Outreach, and Community Service. Mel Gussow of The New York Times described it as “A Stage for All the World of Asian–Americans” and wrote that “Before Pan Asian Rep, Asian Americans had severely limited opportunities in the theater….” The company has nurtured thousands of artists and is a “who-is-who” of Asian American theatre history, with notable alumni/ae: Ako, Ernest Abuba, Tina Chen, Philip Gotanda, Wai Ching Ho, David Henry Hwang, Daniel Dae Kim, Lucy Liu, Ron Nakahara, R.A. Shiomi, Lauren Yee, and Henry Yuk.

Pan Asian Rep Programs are made possible, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; and major support from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Mary Li Hsu Charitable Trust, NY Community Trust, Shubert Foundation, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels, Lucille Lortel Foundations; and many generous individuals.

www.panasianrep.org
info@panasianrep.org
Twitter & Instagram: @PanAsianRep
www.facebook.com/panasianrep/

On Tuesday the New Dramatists’ 71st Annual Benefit Luncheon was held at the New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, Broadway ballroom 6^th floor.

Suzan-Lori-Parks photo by Michael Hull

Tony® Honor recipient and the nation’s premier playwright development laboratory, was honored with its 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award at their 71st Annual Spring Luncheon Tribute

Kenny Leon photo by Michael Hull

Tony Award winner, Kenny Leon, director of Parks’ recent revival of Topdog/Underdog lead the tributes.

photo by Michael Hull

In Attendance were:

Ben Platt (Parade) photo by Michael Hull

Annaleigh Ashford  (Sweeney Todd) photo by Michael Hull

Brandon Uranowitz (Leopoldstadt) photo by Michael Hull

J. Harrison Ghee  (Some Like It Hot) photo by Michael Hull

Kevin Cahoon (Shucked) photo by Michael Hull

Natasha Yvette Williams  (Some Like It Hot) photo by Michael Hull

Wayne Cilento (Dancin’) photo by Michael Hull

Betsy Wolfe (& Juliet) and Linedy Genao (Bad Cinderella) photo by Michael Hull

Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo), Ben Platt (Parade) and  Colton Ryan (New York, New York) photo by Michael Hull

Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo), Brian Stokes Mitchell, Suzan-Lori Parks, Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo) and Bonnie Milligan (Kimberly Akimbo) at The New Dramatists Spring Luncheon. photo by Michael Hull

Also Artistic Director Emily Morse and Executive Director Joel Ruark,

Executive Director Joel Ruark photo by Michael Hull

Jeannie Tessori photo by Michael Hull

Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi), Betsy Aidem (Leopoldstadt), Steven Boyer (Kimberly Akimbo), Faye Castelow (Leopoldstadt), Rashad Chambers (Topdog/Underdog), Ben Davis (New York, New York), Eisa Davis (New York, New York), Micaela Diamond (Parade), Delia Ephron (Love Loss & What I Wore), Corey Hawkins (Topdog/Underdog), Jessica Hecht (Summer, 1976), Amy Herzog (A Doll’s House), Robert Horn (Shucked),  Mark Jacoby (A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical), LaChanze (Here Lies Love, Kimberly Akimbo), event co-chair   Caissie Levy (Leopoldstadt), Judith Light (Other Desert Cities), David Lindsay-Abaire (Kimberly Akimbo), Neil Meron (Some Like It Hot), Alli Mauzey (Kimberly Akimbo), Lauren Mitchell (A Bronx Tale), Arian Moayed (A Doll’s House), Casey Nicholaw (Some Like It Hot), Linda Powell (A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical), Daryl Roth (Kinky Boots), Sarah Ruhl (in The Next Room), Stark Sands (& Juliet), Miriam Silverman (The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window), Marcel Spears (Fat Ham), Katy Sullivan (Cost of Living), David Stone (Wicked), Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo), Paula Vogel (How I Learned To Drive), Sharon Washington (New York, New York), Scott WIttman (Some Like It Hot), Kara Young (Cost of Living), David Zayas (Cost of Living).

Performing were:

Suzan-Lori-Parks photo by Michael Hull

Daniel Fulton, Orville Mendoza, Suzan-Lori-Parks, Lauren Molina and Leland Fowler photo by Michael Hull

Brandon and Jason Dirden photo by Michael Hull

New Dramatists resident playwrights at The New Dramatists Spring Luncheon. photo by Michael Hull

Suzan-Lori-Parks and New Dramatists resident playwrights at The New Dramatists Spring Luncheon. photo by Michael Hull

Suzan-Lori-Parks New Dramatists resident playwrights at The New Dramatists Spring Luncheon. photo by Michael Hull

Suzan-Lori-Parks photo by Michael Hull

Tony Kushner photo by Michael Hull

NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, Suzan-Lori-Parks photo by Michael Hull

Stay tuned for our interviews.

The Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University announced today that theatre director/teacher Jason Zembuch Young of South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida, will receive the 2023 Excellence in Theatre Education Award.

The Excellence in Theatre Education Award was co-founded in 2014 by the Tony Awards and CMU to recognize top K-12 drama teachers and to celebrate arts education. Zembuch Young will receive his award at The 76^th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 11, at the historic United Palace in New York City’s Washington Heights.

Making theatre accessible for all audiences has been the hallmark of Zembuch Young’s 20 years as a drama teacher. Each year, he produces two full-length mainstage productions, a play and a musical, in both voice and American Sign Language (ASL). As an advocate for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) population, Zembuch Young has reshaped policies to provide interpreters during and after school to teach his hearing and DHH actors and crew how to communicate and perform.

“As a high school theatre teacher, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many students from different backgrounds with varying exceptionalities. When we are inclusive in the theatre, everyone is better for it.  Everyone deserves to have a voice,” said Zembuch Young.  “It is in the theatre that we have an opportunity to give our students a platform to use that voice, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what language they use to communicate.”

Zembuch Young runs a one-person, zero-budget public school theatre department with upwards of 150 students participating in performances. He also operates a six-week summer-stock theatre camp for elementary and middle school students, using high school drama students as counselors and mentors. With his South Plantation School students, he participates in International Thespian district and state competitions and is an eight-time South Florida CAPPIE winner for Best Play or Musical. Zembuch Young fundraises annually to provide four $1,000 scholarships to help graduating seniors.

Helping others overcome disability or life circumstances doesn’t stop when the school bell rings for Zembuch Young.  He and his husband Michael have fostered more than 35 abused and underprivileged children.  He’s facilitated the adoption of foster kids in his care and became an adoptive parent himself. He offers free admission to all performances for foster families so that they can experience live theatre.

A panel of theatre experts from the American Theatre Wing, The Broadway League and Carnegie Mellon University selected Zembuch Young from a nationwide call for entries.

“We are thrilled to present the 2023 Excellence in Theatre Education Award to Jason Zembuch Young,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing. “Jason’s exceptional commitment to empowering every student to make and be part of theatre has won the hearts and appreciation of his local community and now the Broadway community, as well.”

The Excellence in Theatre Education Award recognizes a K-12 theatre educator in the U.S. who has demonstrated exemplary impact on the lives of students and who embodies the highest standards of the profession. Zembuch Young will receive $10,000 for South Plantation High School’s theatre program and tickets to The Tony Awards and Gala. Zembuch Young’s students will also receive a visiting Master Class taught by CMU Drama professors.

“New trails are blazed when teachers challenge paradigms in the name of art, expression and accessibility,” said Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian. “Jason Zembuch Young is an extraordinary educator who has used the power of theatre to profoundly impact the lives of his students. CMU is proud to present this award to Jason in recognition of his positive influence and remarkable achievements.”

The American Theatre Wing’s 76th Annual Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will air LIVE on Sunday, June 11, 2023 from the historic United Palace in Washington Heights in New York City from 8:00-11:00 PM, ET/5:00-8:00 PM, PT on the CBS Television Network, and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.

On Tuesday the New Dramatists’ 71st Annual Benefit Luncheon was held at the New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, Broadway ballroom 6^th floor.

Suzan-Lori-Parks photo by Michael Hull

Tony® Honor recipient and the nation’s premier playwright development laboratory, was honored with its 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award at their 71st Annual Spring Luncheon Tribute

Kenny Leon photo by Michael Hull

Tony Award winner, Kenny Leon, director of Parks’ recent revival of Topdog/Underdog lead the tributes.

photo by Michael Hull

In Attendance were:

Ben Platt (Parade) photo by Michael Hull

Annaleigh Ashford  (Sweeney Todd) photo by Michael Hull

Brandon Uranowitz (Leopoldstadt) photo by Michael Hull

J. Harrison Ghee  (Some Like It Hot) photo by Michael Hull

Kevin Cahoon (Shucked) photo by Michael Hull

Natasha Yvette Williams  (Some Like It Hot) photo by Michael Hull

Wayne Cilento (Dancin’) photo by Michael Hull

Betsy Wolfe (& Juliet) and Linedy Genao (Bad Cinderella) photo by Michael Hull

Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo), Ben Platt (Parade) and  Colton Ryan (New York, New York) photo by Michael Hull

Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo), Brian Stokes Mitchell, Suzan-Lori Parks, Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo) and Bonnie Milligan (Kimberly Akimbo) at The New Dramatists Spring Luncheon. photo by Michael Hull

Also Artistic Director Emily Morse and Executive Director Joel Ruark,

Executive Director Joel Ruark photo by Michael Hull

Jeannie Tessori photo by Michael Hull

Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi), Betsy Aidem (Leopoldstadt), Steven Boyer (Kimberly Akimbo), Faye Castelow (Leopoldstadt), Rashad Chambers (Topdog/Underdog), Ben Davis (New York, New York), Eisa Davis (New York, New York), Micaela Diamond (Parade), Delia Ephron (Love Loss & What I Wore), Corey Hawkins (Topdog/Underdog), Jessica Hecht (Summer, 1976), Amy Herzog (A Doll’s House), Robert Horn (Shucked),  Mark Jacoby (A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical), LaChanze (Here Lies Love, Kimberly Akimbo), event co-chair   Caissie Levy (Leopoldstadt), Judith Light (Other Desert Cities), David Lindsay-Abaire (Kimberly Akimbo), Neil Meron (Some Like It Hot), Alli Mauzey (Kimberly Akimbo), Lauren Mitchell (A Bronx Tale), Arian Moayed (A Doll’s House), Casey Nicholaw (Some Like It Hot), Linda Powell (A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical), Daryl Roth (Kinky Boots), Sarah Ruhl (in The Next Room), Stark Sands (& Juliet), Miriam Silverman (The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window), Marcel Spears (Fat Ham), Katy Sullivan (Cost of Living), David Stone (Wicked), Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo), Paula Vogel (How I Learned To Drive), Sharon Washington (New York, New York), Scott WIttman (Some Like It Hot), Kara Young (Cost of Living), David Zayas (Cost of Living).

Performing were:

Suzan-Lori-Parks photo by Michael Hull

Daniel Fulton, Orville Mendoza, Suzan-Lori-Parks, Lauren Molina and Leland Fowler photo by Michael Hull

Brandon and Jason Dirden photo by Michael Hull

New Dramatists resident playwrights at The New Dramatists Spring Luncheon. photo by Michael Hull

Suzan-Lori-Parks and New Dramatists resident playwrights at The New Dramatists Spring Luncheon. photo by Michael Hull

Suzan-Lori-Parks New Dramatists resident playwrights at The New Dramatists Spring Luncheon. photo by Michael Hull

Suzan-Lori-Parks photo by Michael Hull

Tony Kushner photo by Michael Hull

NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, Suzan-Lori-Parks photo by Michael Hull

Stay tuned for our interviews.