Broadway League Names 2016 League Educator Apple Award Recipients

The Broadway League, the national trade organization for the commercial theatre industry, announces the 2016 League Educator Apple Award recipients. Now in its fourteenth year, the awards acknowledge the efforts of local teachers and advocates who support programs relating to Broadway or Touring Broadway shows, promoting further development of theatre education.

"The Broadway League has bestowed the League Educator Apple Awards since 2003 to recognize teachers, administrators, school district heads, and advocates from around the country for their commitment to arts education, as well as their work in collaboration with Broadway League member venues that present Broadway and Touring Broadway shows. Through this award and other initiatives, we encourage the ongoing development of theatre education programs around the country," said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League.

The 2016 League Educator Apple Award recipients are: Elisa De Gregorio, Arts Education Liaison and Art Specialist at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School for International Careers in New York, New York (nominated by Roundabout Theatre Company); Dawn Dunham, Civics Teacher at Maitland Middle School in Maitland, Florida (nominated by Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts); and Denise Sasiain, Afterschool Program Director at Lantana Elementary in Lantana, Florida (nominated by The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts).

The Broadway League Educator Apple Awards will be presented at the eighth annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) showcase in New York City on June 27th at the Minskoff Theatre. Sixty-two nominees from across America will compete for the coveted Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. The ceremony will be hosted by Zachary Levi who is currently starring in Roundabout Theatre Company's She Loves Me on Broadway.

2016 LEAGUE EDUCATOR APPLE AWARD RECIPIENTS:

Elisa De Gregorio, Arts Education Liaison and Art Specialist at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School for International Careers in New York, New York

Elisa De Gregorio is passionate about creating a new generation of socially and environmentally conscious individuals through theatre. As her school's Arts Education Liaison and Art Specialist, she has started Smash Arts Productions, where students devise theatrical pieces based on social and environmental issues, and their performances are fundraisers that benefit those issues. Her students incorporate Roundabout Theatre Company's productions as inspiration for their pieces. Their work includes a piece inspired by Roundabout's production of Cabaret, which examined the stigma of HIV/AIDS and looked at the early days of the epidemic and today. Ms. De Gregorio is changing the way students view the world through theatre education.

Dawn Dunham, Civics Teacher at Maitland Middle School in Maitland, Florida

Dawn Dunham is being recognized for her efforts to integrate the arts into her 7th grade civics classroom, as well as the language arts department at Maitland Middle School. Ms. Dunham used Newsies to teach her students about the power of the press, child labor laws, and the significance of having a voice in politics. With The Sound of Music, Ms. Dunham's students analyzed the different political structures of the United States and Germany and created political cartoons depicting the lives of the characters in the show. Her work has increased students' engagement in both the classroom and the theatre. Outside of the classroom, she and her students sold over $500 worth of newspapers before performances of Newsies to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Denise Sasiain, Afterschool Program Director at Lantana Elementary in Lantana, Florida

Denise Sasiain is the Afterschool Program Director at Lantana Elementary School. In association with the Kravis Center, she oversees the school's Broadway Reach program. She participated in collaboration with Milton Hall Primary School in London to engage her students in a unique international theatre and writing learning experience. Her students have written stories inspired by Matilda the Musical that display how the show has changed their perception of the world and left them feeling more empowered. Ms. Sasiain makes providing theatre for elementary age students her mission and is continuously applying for grants to assure theatre is an integral part of her students' lives year-round. Ms. Sasiain also brings teaching artists into her school to educate both the students and staff. As a result of her efforts, attendance and engagement has increased at both Lantana Elementary and the Kravis Center.