By Mark Kennedy, APThis image released by Carnegie Mellon University shows CJay Philip at the Black Box Theater in Baltimore on May 18, 2024. Philip will receive the 2024 Excellence in Theatre Education Award on June 16 at the Tony Awards in New York City. that honors educators is going to a Baltimore-based actor, educator, choreographer and Broadway veteran who has created arts opportunities for everyone from kindergartners to senior citizens.
It’s AMP Camp introduces children in grades three to six to onstage and offstage production skills, like lighting design and stage management, letting them know “all of the opportunities that could be waiting them in theater and theater making from behind the scenes.” The annual Excellence in Theatre Education Award bestowed by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University recognizes U.S. educators who have “demonstrated exemplary impact on the lives of students and who embodies the highest standards of the profession.”
As a sign of her versatility and range, she was the second assistant stage manager in “Street Corner Symphony,” as well as ready-to-go-on for three of the leads at a moment’s notice and do split leaps. “Mentorship was so much a key part of me becoming the type of performer that I wanted to be and the type of performer I respected. And so that’s how we teach with Dance & Bmore,” she says.