In Freddie Hendricks’ classroom at Utopian Academy for the Arts in Ellenwood, Georgia, the words great, greater and greatness are clearly evident — on the walls, on the door to his middle school theatre arts classroom, on a mural that commands attention on an entire wall in the room. Now, Hendricks has achieved one more great accomplishment in a list of many: He is the 2026 winner of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award(opens in new window) (EITEA), presented by Carnegie Mellon University and The Tony Awards since 2014. He will receive the award 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.’”
One of four boys, Hendricks is a Georgia native who said he was always singing growing up. A graduate of Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, Hendricks spent a great deal of time with his grandparents, who inspired him to follow his dreams.
“They taught me about God and to love myself,” he said. “I pass that along to my students. I tell them, ‘You need to understand that Mr. Hendricks wants you to appreciate who you are. The key to yourself is to never stop.”
“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(opens in new window). “We are grateful to educators like Freddie who open doors for young people to discover their voices and fully express their talents.”
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 Tony Award nominees, Justin Ellington and Kandi Burruss. Another past student, Artesius Miller, put his inspiration to work by creating Utopian Academy.
“Freddie inspired me to open Georgia’s first charter school for the performing arts, expanding access for students of all backgrounds to learn from top creative professionals,” said Miller, founder and CEO of the Utopian Academy for the Arts Charter School Network. “His entire Utopian Academy family — students, faculty and staff — could not be prouder of his Tony win or more honored to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.”
Calling Hendricks “a force for excellence in both theatre and the classrooms at Utopian Academy for the Arts,” Miller said Hendricks is a true quintuple threat.
“Freddie is a mesmerizing actor, a gifted singer and dancer, an accomplished director and, above all, a transformative educator who sees the potential in his students, regardless of their circumstances, and draws it out, empowering them to shine with confidence onstage,” Miller said.
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.
This year’s Tony Awards will return to the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7. Hosted by music superstar and global icon P!NK, The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards will broadcast LIVE to both coasts on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+* (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. PT).
Spotlight on Excellence: Honoring the 10th Winner of the Theatre Education Award
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For over a decade, the Excellence in Theatre Education Award has recognized K-12 theatre educators across the U.S. who embody the highest standards of the profession, positively impacting the lives of students and advancing the profession of theatre. Past recipients of the award were eager to congratulate Hendricks and share how the award’s impact goes beyond one surreal weekend in New York.
“As a recipient of this prestigious award, I know now that dreams can and do come true,” said Marilyn McCormick, the 2016 award winner. “The impact of that realization is that everything I need is inside of me. Everything I need in order to create, inspire, and facilitate the challenges of the arts are inside of me. This award validates that — the art and science of theatre.”
That validation can have a lasting effect.
“There is such a thing as Tony power. So use it to get anything you need for you students,” said Madeline Michel, the 2019 EITEA winner. “Theatre gives young people agency. And that is a gift they can use forever.”
The trip to the Tony Awards in New York is something the awardees never forget.
“You have made a difference. The journey to the red carpet is going to be absolutely amazing,” said 2023 award winner Jason Zembuch Young. “Savor every moment.”
2017 award winner Rachel Harry acknowledged the effort that went into theatre education.
“I know you have worked hard and sacrificed so much to create a nationally recognized program where your students thrive, not only as artists, but as human beings. Well done!” she said.
“Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The institution was originally established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical School. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology and began granting four-year degrees.”
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