Corey Mitchell watched the 2014 telecast of the Tony Awards as Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama alumni Matt Bomer and Zachary Quinto announced that through a partnership with the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League the school would bestow the first Excellence in Theatre Education Award (EITEA) at the following year's awards show.
Tuning in that night was the start of a journey for Mitchell that ultimately led to his receiving the inaugural award in June 2015. His adventure continues still.
"The minute I heard about the award, I changed my Facebook status to reflect that I wanted that award," said Mitchell, theater arts teacher at Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina. "I never missed an opportunity to talk about it."
"The greatest thing about this honor has been the numerous opportunities I've had to talk about the power of the arts and arts education." - Corey Mitchell
Chosen by a panel of judges from the Wing, the League, CMU and industry professionals, Mitchell found himself on stage at Radio City Music Hall in June 2015 making an acceptance speech that earned a standing ovation from the full house. The ensuing weekend was a blur of rubbing shoulders and sharing stories with Broadway's elite.