Polish Your Passion Launches National Campaign to Help Spread Word About Tony Awards' #NominateMyTeacher Program

Currently, Polish Your Passion is launching the first national campaign of #TonyShine. The #TonyShine online effort will benefit the Tony Awards® and Carnegie Mellon University's #NominateMyTeacher search for the inaugural Excellence in Theatre Education Award.

Students can submit a draft of the "Tell Us the Story" portion of their teacher nomination in video or essay format, and Polish Your Passion will send their #TonyShine video feedback for free. Interested students may send their #TonyShine draft by March 25th. The Polish Your Passion co-founders have been inspired by drama teachers in their own educational journeys and seek to encourage all students to nominate teachers that have changed their lives through theatre.

Polish Your Passion (www.pypnyc.com) is an online-based theatre education company that provides personalized audition video feedback to performers (ages 13+) across the country. Using modern technology, students can receive professional feedback on their audition videos from the convenience of their homes, dorm rooms, and classrooms. Polish Your Passion was co-founded by singing coach, Caroline Selia, and acting coach, Tom Morin, with the belief that the "moment before" an audition or performance should be a positive experience.

"The MomentB4 audition video feedback initiative was created to help students feel confident, prepared, and polished. MomentB4 brings industry singing & acting expertise anywhere, so you can have someone coaching you right until you walk into the audition room! Convenient, easy to use, expert feedback right in your back pocket!" -Polish Your Passion Founders

More about the founders of Polish Your Passion:

Tom Morin is originally from Portsmouth, New Hampshire and holds a B.A. in Theatre and Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross and a M.F.A. in Acting from Ohio University. Off Broadway/NYC credits: The Rivals (Pearl Theatre Company), A Christmas Carol (Titan Theatre Company), That Lady from Maxim's (2013 NY Innovative Award for Outstanding Musical). Regional credits: the title role in The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Liar (Centenary Stage), Twelfth Night, Macbeth (Great River Shakespeare), The Winter's Tale, Marriage of Figaro (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), and Guys and Dolls, Scapino (Monomoy).

Caroline Selia is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she also completed her B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University. She holds an M.M. degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her most recent musical theatre credits include: Claire in Class: a New Musical, directed by Tony nominee Jerry Dixon. She has sung extensively throughout Europe, winning awards in Austria and Germany. She also sings the National Anthem for the New York Knicks NBA. As a singing teacher/coach, Ms. Selia has taught for over 12 years; her students are starring in Broadway productions such as Matilda, Phantom of the Opera to name a few, national tours, feature films, and television programs.