Distinguished Teaching Award

Jasmine Mahmoud, 2025

Valerie Curtis-Newton, 2011

"I think students should work hard," she said, "put in all the preparation they need to tackle an endeavor, be bold enough to have ideas and believe that their ideas should be given a voice, be courageous enough to speak them or to put them into action and mature enough to accept the consequences of whatever those choices were." -- Valerie Curtis-Newton

Alex Danilchik, (Retired) 2009

"Being able to work with students, collaborate with them is satisfying. They bring their side of it, and you bring your side. You put that together and see the result." -- Alex Danilchik

Shanga Parker (now teaching at NYU), 2006

"Shanga Parker is not only a superior teacher from an academic perspective, but he brings with him the grit and truth of the acting profession as he has experienced it." -- PATP student Jeremiah Davis

Jennifer Lavy, 2005

"In addition to the breadth and depth of knowledge and the interest she brings, is her ability to draw great new things out of her students." -- student Markus McVay

Barry Witham (Deceased), 2002

"What's my satisfaction? Just that I get to see a whole lot of my students succeed." -- Barry Witham

Robyn Hunt, 2001

"Hunt is always creating new ways for students to learn, whether it's through dialogue after a dance concert, new techniques or performance ideas. When Hunt and her students begin their work, it's always a fresh creation." -- Julie Garner

Outstanding Undergraduate Mentorship Award

Rachael Herren, 2026

Scott Magelssen, 2025

Distinguished Staff Award

Alan Weldin, 2004

"His lessons and his legacy are carried on through the many that pass through our doors, spend a short time with us, and move on." -- staff of the Drama Scene Shop

Excellence in Teaching

Rachael Herren, 2026

"Studying theatre asks us to thrive in the unknown—to start with the big questions. The process of brainstorming in the classroom and diving into the deep of hypothetical worlds makes the act of research and scholarship inherently theatrical. Inhabiting these spaces with students has become one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life." -- Rachael Herren

Excellence in Mentorship

Eric Villiers, 2024

Brotman Award for Instructional Excellence

School of Drama BA Program, 2003

"Whatever idea you have in your head, you can propose it. It's a really great way for people to experiment." 
-- Drama student Andy Kidd