The 76th Annual Tony Award attendees and streamers were reminded of the impact of education when Jason Zembuch Young, the 2023 Excellence in Theatre Education Award Winner, accepted his award (and concurrently signed his speech in ASL). “When we focus on what people can do, rather than what they can’t, the possibilities are endless,” Young said. “Thank you to my students, who have shown me what teaching is really all about.”
Curious to know where the stars received their own theatre education? This year’s Tony Award winners include five NYU graduates, three Juilliard alumni, and two actors who did not attend a university at all—take a look at the full list of where the 2023 Tony winners received their training.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot): American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Victoria Clark (Kimberly Akimbo): Yale University, New York University
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Sean Hayes (Good Night, Oscar): Illinois State University
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Brandon Uranowitz (Leopoldstadt): New York University
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Bonnie Milligan (Kimberly Akimbo): Ohio State University
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Miriam Silverman (The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window): Brown University
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo): Columbia University
David Lindsay-Abaire (Kimberly Akimbo): Sarah Lawrence College and The Juilliard School
Best Costume Design of a Play
Brigitte Reiffenstuel (Leopoldstadt): London College of Fashion, St. Martin’s School of Art
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes (Some Like It Hot): San Diego University, New York University
Best Orchestrations
Charlie Rosen (Some Like It Hotand): Berklee College of Music
Bryan Carter (Some Like It Hotand): The Juilliard School
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, (New York, New York): Vassar College, New York University
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Tim Hatley (Life of Pi): Bearwood College and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Andrzej Goulding (Life of Pi): Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Best Choreography
Casey Nicholaw (Some Like It Hot): University of California, Los Angeles
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Natasha Katz (Sweeney Todd): Oberlin College
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Tim Lutkin (Life of Pi): The Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Best Sound Design of a Play
Carolyn Downing (Life of Pi): The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Nevin Steinberg (Sweeney Todd): Harvard University, New York University School for Continuing Professional Studies
Best Direction of a Play
Patrick Marber (Leopoldstadt): Wadham College, Oxford
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, (Parade): The Juilliard School
Best Book of a Musical
David Lindsay-Abaire (Kimberly Akimbo): Sarah Lawrence College and The Juilliard School
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Alex Newell (Shucked) Did not attend a university.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Jodie Comer (Prima Facie): Did not attend a university.