Colorado Educator Shawn Hann Named 2026 Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year

Shawn Hann of Denver School of the Arts in Colorado has been named the 2026 recipient of the Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year Award.

Presented by The ASCAP Foundation and the Educational Theatre Foundation, this accolade recognizes exceptional achievement in the field of high school, middle school, and elementary musical theatre education and includes a $5,000 cash award.

About Shawn Hann

Shawn has devoted her career to transforming young lives through theatre education, including the past 25 years as Director of Theatre at Denver School of the Arts (DSA). She has built a thriving program centered on artistry, leadership, collaboration, and civic engagement. Under her leadership, the DSA theatre department has become a beacon of excellence in Colorado and beyond, offering students extraordinary opportunities to grow as performers, creators, and engaged citizens.

Her seven-year curriculum guides students from exploratory arts to advanced, original creations, culminating in student-led productions, managing production, budgeting, PR, casting, directing, and technical design. This commitment to rigor and opportunity has led to standout productions, including five International Thespian Festival Main Stage productions, multiple main stage selections at ThesCon—Colorado Thespians' state conference—and seven trips to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Through annual trips to New York City, Shawn's students engage with colleges, Tony Award winners, Broadway performers, lawyers, PhD candidates, and industry professionals. Approximately 85 percent of her graduates pursue theatre or theatre-related majors in higher education, and many alumni credit their time at DSA as foundational to their success in the arts and beyond.

Shawn has earned numerous accolades throughout her distinguished career, including the Alliance for Colorado Theatre's Middle School Educator of the Year Award in 2005, EdTA's National Theatre Educator of the Year Award in 2011, a Juilliard Directing Fellowship in 2012, the Mayor's Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture in School Arts in 2015, Colorado High School Theatre Educator of the Year in 2018, and the 2022 Superior Teacher Award from EdTA's Thespy Awards.

Shawn will be honored during the EdTA Awards for Excellence in Theatre Education event at the Educational Theatre Association's Theatre Education Conference July 22-24, 2026 in New York, N.Y.