Olivia Winslow Bellido Named Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year

C.E. Jordan High School theatre director and educator Olivia Bellido is the 2024 recipient of the Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year Award. Presented by The ASCAP Foundation and the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), this accolade recognizes exceptional achievement in the field of high school and middle school theatre education and includes a $5,000 cash prize.

For the past 18 years, Bellido has led Thespian Troupe 5478 at Charles E. Jordan High School in Durham, N.C., expanding the theatre program and creating an inclusive environment for students to pursue their interests and discover new talents. In addition to teaching performance students, Bellido has developed a student-led technical theatre program, allowing students to manage all aspects of production, from set construction to lighting, sound, and stage management.

Bellido has worked to ensure that quality arts experiences are accessible to all students within C.E. Jordan High School, which serves a socio-economically diverse community (40% of students participate in free or reduced lunch programs). Through innovative programs, she has been able to offer low-cost or free admission to performances and reduce associated expenses for students participating in productions.

As a C.E. Jordan High School alumna, Bellido has fostered an environment that inspires graduates to return and support the theatre program, while current students welcome newcomers with open arms. Students praise the nurturing, positive environment Bellido has created, where they celebrate each other’s successes and build meaningful, supportive relationships.

Bellido has previously received an honorable mention from the Tony Awards for excellence in theatre education and her musicals have received multiple accolades in North Carolina’s DPAC Rising Star Awards.

“High school musical theatre teachers are unsung heroes (pun intended). They give their time, heart, and soul, and often their own resources to inspire their students. And whether or not those students pursue the arts professionally, they emerge more confident, more empathetic, and more fully rounded,” said Schwartz. “Olivia Bellido is a prime example of someone who has devoted years filled with talent, creativity, and plain hard work to helping her students thrive and grow, and I’m proud she is receiving an award that bears my name.”

“Olivia Bellido is truly a ‘star’ for her ability to use the theatre experience to create an environment for students to explore the performing arts while learning about themselves,” said ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Nicole George-Middleton. “We are delighted to present Olivia with this award to help support her wonderful programs.”

“We are thrilled to honor Olivia Bellido as the 2024 Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year,” said EdTA Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Katona. “Her dedication to her students and efforts to foster a supportive, inclusive environment showcase a commitment to theatre education that parallels our own—to use an education in theatre to deliver equitable, transformative learning experiences for all.”

Stephen Schwartz, a three-time Oscar winner and four-time Grammy winner, was inspired to create the award to recognize the many ways that theatre teachers impact lives. “Theatre teachers help to not just bring theatre, but bring empathy and the ability to think, to work together as a group, and understand other people. These are things so desperately needed in our country right now that go way, way beyond theatre and musical theatre,” said Schwartz when the award was founded.

Bellido will be recognized at EdTA’s Theatre Education Conference, September 26-29 in Minneapolis, Minn.

About Stephen Schwartz

Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway smash hit Wicked as well as Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show and The Baker’s Wife. Schwartz has also worked in motion pictures, collaborating with composer Alan Menken on the songs for Disney’s Enchanted, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Academy Award-winning film The Prince of Egypt. In addition to his awards, Schwartz has been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame and has been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Stephen Schwartz has been the director of the ASCAP Foundation Musical Theater Workshops in New York and Los Angeles since 1992.

About The ASCAP Foundation

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education, talent development and humanitarian programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org

About the Educational Theatre Association

The Educational Theatre Association is an international nonprofit that serves as the professional association for theatre educators. EdTA is the parent organization of the International Thespian Society, the Honor Society for theatre students that’s inducted more than 2.5 million Thespians since 1929. Additionally, EdTA operates the Educational Theatre Foundation, the organization’s philanthropic arm dedicated to broadening representation and increasing access. Visit schooltheatre.org to learn how EdTA inspires theatre educators to transform lives.