Broadway League Honors Maitland Middle School Teacher with Educator Apple Award

Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts and The Broadway League, the national trade organization for the commercial theatre industry, announces the three 2016 League Educator Apple Award recipients. Now in its 14th 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.

Selected from nominees nation-wide, Maitland Middle School civics teacher Dawn Dunham will be awarded this year's prize on Monday, June 27, 2016 on stage at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre during the 2016 National High School Musical Theatre Awards (also known as the Jimmy Awards).

"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.

Dawn Dunham, nominated by Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 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.

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 Monday, June 27, 2016. 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. Among the student performing nominees are 2016 Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts Applause Award winners Emma Heistand of West Orange High School and Tony Moreno of Trinity Preparatory School. The ceremony will be hosted by Zachary Levi who is currently starring in Roundabout Theatre Company's award-winning She Loves Me on Broadway.

Charlotte St. Martin, President. Founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League's 700-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers who present in nearly 200 markets in North America. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. The Broadway League has recently added a new category for International membership to collaborate with professionals from around the world who produce and present Broadway quality theatre. The Broadway League annually co-presents the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry.

Key League programs and resources include: Kids' Night on Broadway, The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (The Jimmys), Stars in the Alley, Internet Broadway Database (ibdb.com), Broadway.org, SpotlightonBroadway.com, Commercial Theater Institute (with Theatre Development Fund), as well as numerous conferences and forums for our members. TheatreAccessNYC (co-produced with TDF) is the one-stop website of accessible Broadway performances for theatregoers with disabilities. Broadway.org is the League's official on-line headquarters for Broadway in NYC, on tour, and internationally. For more information visit BroadwayLeague.com, or follow The Broadway League on Twitter @TheBwayLeague and on Facebook at Facebook.com/BroadwayLeague. Download the free Broadway.org and IBDB mobile apps from the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

Broadway theatres are filled with an exciting array of new and classic musicals and plays, providing the perfect experience for every audience. Great seats are available at every price point and are easy to buy online, by phone, or in person at theatre box offices. It's always the perfect time to see a show. Broadway performs every day of the week at multiple curtain times to accommodate every schedule.

Opened in 1908, Florida Hospital is a faith-based institution focused on providing whole person care. It is one of the largest not-for-profit hospitals in the country, caring for more than two million patient visits per year - more than any other hospital in the country, according to the American Hospital Association. The Florida Division of Florida Hospital stretches from coast to coast with 26 hospitals, more than 4,600 patient beds, and more than 32,000 employees. The division includes the Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children, dozens of outpatient facilities and Centra Care and Kids Urgent Care locations throughout Central Florida. Florida Hospital provides a wide range of health services, including many nationally and internationally recognized programs in cardiology, cancer, women's medicine, neurosciences, diabetes, orthopedics, pediatrics, transplant and advanced surgical programs. Florida Hospital is a designated statutory teaching hospital and also trains physicians from all around the world on the newest technologies.

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization operating the state-of-the-art performing arts center in downtown Orlando, Florida. With its opening in November 2014, the performing arts center launched its vision of Arts For Every Life by being a gathering place for creativity and discovery; a vibrant urban destination where artists, audiences and students come to experience, explore and learn. The two-block community destination features the 2,700-seat Walt Disney Theater, 300-seat Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Seneff Arts Plaza, Dr. Phillips Center Florida Hospital School of the Arts, the DeVos Family Room, and other event rental spaces. Future expansion includes Steinmetz Hall, a 1,700-seat acoustical theater, along with rehearsal, classroom, office space and commercial development spaces. The Dr. Phillips Center is a public-private collaboration with the City of Orlando, Orange County, the State of Florida and generous donors. For more information please visit drphillipscenter.org.

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