The American Theatre Wing has announced that Freddie Hendricks will receive the 2026 Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education (EITEA). Hendricks is a theater teacher at Utopian Academy for the Arts in Ellenwood, Georgia, where he leads students in a “rigorous, ensemble-based program of acting, movement and storytelling.” An arts educator for more than 30 years, Hendricks is the tenth theater arts teacher to receive the Tonys’ Excellence in Theatre Education Award.
“I am so grateful for this honor,” said Hendricks in a statement. “I tell my students, ‘You’re born great. When you find your passion, you’re living in your greatness, and the next step is to be greater.’ I found my passion. I believed. I had faith. My mantra is this: ‘Greatness is inevitable when focus marries passion, and the desire is as strong as the need.’”
In addition to his work at Utopian Academy, Hendricks has partnered with the NAACP and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for outreach programs. He also teaches virtual classes to theater students based in London. In 1990, Hendricks founded the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, which offers training and performance programs in addition to an internship program, a music production program, free tutoring, peer outreach, international cultural exchanges, college scholarships and a youth arts program for children ages three to ten. A cancer survivor, Hendricks continued to work with his students and direct regional shows during treatment, after which he returned to Utopian Academy to resume teaching drama.
The EITEA recognizes a K-12 theater teacher in the United States who has demonstrated exemplary impact on students’ lives and who embodies the highest standards of the profession. Candidates are submitted by the public and selected by a panel of judges including members of the American Theatre Wing, the Broadway League, co-presenter Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and other theater industry leaders.
Hendricks will receive $10,000 for Utopian Academy, in addition to tickets to the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall and the gala that follows the ceremony. CMU drama professors will lead a visiting master class at Utopian Academy later this year.
“For more than ten years, the presentation of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award has been one of the most memorable moments of our Tony Award ceremony, and this year will be no exception,” said American Theatre Wing president and CEO Heather Hitchens and Broadway League president Jason Laks in a joint statement. “Freddie embodies everything that this award represents, serving as an inspiration not only to his current class, but to generations of students who have come before.”
“Freddie Hendricks’ belief in the transformative power of arts education reflects a commitment we hold deeply at Carnegie Mellon: that the arts are an essential part of a well-rounded education, by fostering creativity, empathy and leadership,” added CMU president Farnam Jahanian. “We are grateful to educators like Freddie who open doors for young people to discover their voices and fully express their talents.”
Many of Hendricks’ former students have gone on to Broadway careers, including 2026 Tony nominee Justin Ellington (nominated for Best Sound Design of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”). Kandi Burruss, a 2023 Tony nominee for “The Piano Lesson” and a producer on “Joe Turner,” is also a former student of Hendricks.
The 79th annual Tony Awards will be held on June 7. The ceremony will be broadcast live via the CBS Television Network and Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
