Carnegie Mellon Alumna Wins Two 2023 Tony Awards®

Broadway moved uptown Sunday to the  historic United Palace in New York City’s Washington Heights for The 76th Annual Tony Awards.  

Following glamorous red carpet arrivals, the theatre community honored the top 2022-2023 Broadway performances and productions during a multi-platform preshow on Pluto TV, Paramount+ and an exciting primetime telecast on CBS. 

Carnegie Mellon University, with its longstanding tradition of producing top talent onstage and behind the scenes, was well-represented during the Tonys with alumni taking part in numerous award show performances, presenting and even adding some wins. 

2023 CMU Alumni Tony Award Winners 
Jamie deRoy, 1967 Carnegie Mellon alumna, Producer 
Best Play “Leopoldstadt” 
Best Revival of a Musical “Parade” 

CMU’s School of Drama is the oldest degree-granting drama school in the country and consistently ranks as one of the world's best drama schools. 

Also during the ceremony, Carnegie Mellon and the Tony Awards presented the 2023 Excellence in Theatre Education Award to Jason Zembuch Young, a drama teacher from South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida. Zembuch Young was honored for his exemplary efforts to broaden access to live theatre, most notably for deaf and hard of hearing students. Each year, Zembuch Young produces two full-length mainstage productions, a play and a musical, in both voice and American Sign Language (ASL). 

A panel of theatre experts from the American Theatre Wing, The Broadway League and Carnegie Mellon University selected Zembuch Young from a nationwide call for entries. The annual Excellence in Theatre Education Award was co-founded in 2014 by the Tony Awards and CMU to recognize top K-12 drama teachers and to celebrate arts education. 

CMU alumna and “Into the Woods” actress Denée Benton, along with CMU president Farnam Jahanian and CMU School of Drama head Robert Ramirez, presented Zembuch Young with his award during the Tony Awards ceremony. 

“Carnegie Mellon is thrilled to congratulate our alumna who earned Tony Awards this year, and  we’re extremely proud of all those who received nominations,” said Farnam Jahanian, president  of Carnegie Mellon University. “CMU is grateful to continue playing a critical role alongside the  Broadway community in helping the art and business of theatre thrive.” 

Carnegie Mellon is the exclusive higher education partner of the Tony Awards. In addition to the Tony-night spotlight, Zembuch Young receives a $10,000 grant and a visiting master class for his students taught by CMU Drama faculty. 

Submissions for the 2024 Excellence in Theatre Education Award are now open at tonyawards.com(opens in new window).