Georgia Teacher Freddie Hendricks Will Receive 2026 Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education

Freddie Hendricks, a middle school theatre teacher at Utopian Academy for the Arts in Ellenwood, Ga., is the 2026 winner of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award (EITEA). The award, which has been presented by the Tony Awards in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University since 2014, will be bestowed at the 79th Annual Tony Awards in New York City on Sunday, June 7. 

Hendricks is the 10th theatre arts teacher to receive the award.  He has been an arts educator for more than 30 years and was an honorable mention for the EITEA in 2023 and 2024. 

The EITEA recognizes a K-12 theatre educator in the U.S. who has demonstrated exemplary impact on students’ lives and who embodies the highest standards of the profession. Hendricks will receive $10,000 for Utopian Academy and tickets to The Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall and the gala that follows at Rockefeller Center. His students will also receive a visiting master class taught by CMU Drama professors later this year. 

“I am so grateful for this honor. 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,’” Hendricks said. “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.’”

At Utopian, Hendricks trains students in a “rigorous, ensemble-based program of acting, movement and storytelling.” Their outreach in the community includes partnerships with the NAACP and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center; Hendricks also teaches virtual classes to students based in London, England. He founded the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, a pioneering African American theatre company that helps to empower young artists through socially conscious storytelling. His goal for all students is to help them use theatre as a tool for artistic excellence, leadership and social impact.

Several of Hendricks’ former students have gone on to successful careers on Broadway and in film and television, including two of this year’s Tony Award nominees, Justin Ellington and Kandi Burruss.

The positive effects of the arts touched Hendricks’ personal life, as well. A cancer survivor, he continued working with his students and directing regional shows during his medical journey. Following successful treatment, he returned to Utopian Academy to resume his passion and true love: teaching drama.

“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. 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,” said Heather Hitchens, President & CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League. “It is because of trailblazing teachers like Freddie that this program has continued to grow, and we feel confident in the future of our theatre community knowing that he is on the front lines, shaping the hearts and minds of our young people.”

“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,” said 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.”