Gary Edwin Robinson made history as the first New Yorker to win the 2025 Excellence in Theatre Education Tony Award.
On June 8, the 78th Tony Awards aired live on Paramount+. Robinson, a Bed-Stuy theatre teacher for the Boys and Girls Club, made history, earning the award. The category is relatively new, having only been presented for its ninth year. Robinson’s speech was brief yet revealed much about the educator. Theatre has been his passion since he was a young performer.
“The first time I performed at Radio City Music Hall, I was 15 years old. I was singing with the all-city high school chorus when I returned to this great stage. I was singing choral backup for Miss Diana Lewis on her Take Me Higher tour.”
A teary-eyed Robinson spoke about his passion for teaching. He also spoke of his joy when his students begin to understand and connect with the art form. Additionally, he gave a shoutout to his former educator at Howard, who guided him into the art of education.
He recalled his professor’s words, “‘You are being trained to train people for careers in the theater. You got that specific yes it-factor in theater education.’”
He continued, “I love working with my students to help them find their theater in themselves when they shout, ‘I got it,’ ‘I found it.’ That is what brings me the joy of teaching theater they are ready to see the many different pathways to a career in theater they’re open to all the possibilities i am honored to return to this great stage as the recipient of the 2025 Excellence in Theater Education award.”
As an educator and creative, Robinson engages in all facets of the stage. He is a writer, producer, actor, and director. Speaking to The New York Post, Robinson discussed the application of theatre skills in real life. Although not all Boys and Girls Club attendees have dreams of gracing the stage, the skills they learn can be beneficial. He tells his potential athletes that the skill can be used to gain endorsements.
“I tell [athletes], ‘You’re going to be selected for a team and with sports figures, you have to do endorsements. That’s theater right there; you’ve got to sell the product, and that’s where the theater comes in, and that’s why you’re taking this class,” Robinson told the post.
Actively teaching for over a decade, Robinson’s students have gone on to act in productions and write for television.
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