The conference will take place from June 22-24 in Bloomington, IN.
Shaina Taub— two-time Tony Award winner, Grammy-nominated songwriter, and writer, composer, lyricist, and star of the revolutionary Broadway musical Suffs— will join the 2025 Theatre Education Conference this June 22-24 in Bloomington, IN.
Taub will be presented with the prestigious 2025 EdTA Founders’ Award, recognizing individuals whose work has made a profound impact on the growth and development of theatre education, research, and practice. She will join EdTA Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Katona for a keynote conversation exploring her artistic journey and the role of theatre education in shaping future changemakers.
“Shaina Taub embodies the spirit of the Founders’ Award through her artistry, advocacy, and unwavering belief in the power of theatre to shape young minds,” said Dr. Katona. “Her work not only elevates the stories of those often unheard, but also actively creates space for students to engage with theatre that is meaningful, inclusive, and transformative. We are honored to recognize her contributions to our field and are thrilled to welcome her to TEC as we come together to imagine the future of theatre education.”
The leading professional development conference for theatre educators, TEC provides timely, innovative resources to support pedagogy and practice through workshops, research roundtables, mentorship opportunities, an early-career track, and networking opportunities. It provides opportunities for classroom educators, teaching artists, administrators, after-school program directors, and any other kind of theatre educator to gather and grow as a community. This year’s conference is co-located with the International Thespian Festival, offering attendees the chance to experience EdTA’s flagship event.
In addition to professional development, TEC fosters a spirit of ensemble among educators, offering a weekend of reflection, connection, and artistic renewal. Featured guests like Taub spark meaningful conversations and inspire a collective vision for the future of theatre education.
Taub is a two-time Tony Award-winning and Grammy-nominated songwriter and performer. She starred as Alice Paul in the Broadway production of Suffs, for which she won Tony Awards for both Best Book and Best Score; Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Book, Best Score, and Best Musical; and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music. She received a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for the cast album of Suffs. She's an artist-in-residence at The Public Theater, where Suffs first premiered. She has created and starred in acclaimed musical adaptations of Twelfth Night (Drama Desk and Drama League nominations) and As You Like It (Obie Award) at Free Shakespeare in the Park with part of the Public Works community that have since been produced by London’s National Theatre, the Young Vic, and hundreds more theaters and schools worldwide. Her musical theater writing has earned her the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, Johnathan Larson Grant, Kleban Prize, Fred Ebb Award, and the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award. She performed in the original Off-Broadway productions of Hadestown and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Lortel nomination), and played Emma Goldman in Ragtime at New York City Centre Encores. She co-starred in Bill Irwin and David Shiner's Old Hats at the Signature Theatre, featuring her original songs. Her three solo albums include Visitors, Die Happy, and Songs of the Great Hill on Atlantic Records, as well as original cast albums for Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and Suffs. Her songwriting for television includes Sesame Street, Central Park, Julie's Greenroom starring Julie Andrews, and the Emmy-nominated opening number for the 2018 Tony Awards, co-written with Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban. She has a longstanding concert residency at Joe’s Pub, made a solo debut in Lincoln Center’s Great American Songbook series, and has performed her music with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. She was included on the 2024 Time100 Next list of rising leaders and has been recognized for her activism with the Workers Circle Activism Award; the League of Women Voters’ Tribute Award; Monumental Women’s Moving History Forward Award; NYU Trailblazer Award; and the Michael Friedman Freedom Award for activism from the NYCLU Artist Ambassadors program which she co-chairs.
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