The Broadway League, the national trade organization for the commercial theatre industry, reveals the 2015 League Educator Apple Award® recipients. The awards acknowledge the efforts of local teachers and advocates who support programs relating to Broadway or Touring Broadway shows, promoting further development of theatre education.

The 2015 League Educator Apple Award recipients are: Cristina Gutierrez-Brewster, Program Manager at Academy Prep Center of Tampa in Tampa, Florida (nominated by Straz Center for the Performing Arts); Rosa Rocha, President, Board of Directors at Friends of Down Syndrome in Houston, Texas (nominated by Theatre Under the Stars), and Bradley Wingate, Arts Academy Specialist at Greenville County Schools in Greenville South Carolina (nominated by The Peace Center for the Performing Arts).

The Broadway League Educator Apple Awards will be announced at the seventh annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA) showcase in New York City on June 29^th at the Minskoff Theatre when 52 nominees from across America will compete for the coveted Jimmy™ Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress.

"The Broadway League has presented the League Educator Apple Award since 2003. This year the Apple Awards will recognize educational administrators and advocates from around the country for their commitment to arts education and to enriching the lives of their students through theatre," said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League.

The League is committed to working with its members to develop new audiences and model projects by supporting education and engagement initiatives across the country. Now in its thirteenth year, the League Educator Apple Awards have honored educators, administrators, and school district leaders from around the country for their commitment to arts education and their work in collaboration with League-member venues that present Touring Broadway shows.

2015 LEAGUE EDUCATOR APPLE AWARD® RECIPIENTS:

Ms. Cristina Gutierrez-Brewster, Program Manager at Academy Prep Center of Tampa, Tampa, FL

For over four years, Cristina Guiterrez-Brewster has worked to create and sustain a community partnership between Academy Prep Center of Tampa and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Every student at Academy Prep qualifies for need-based scholarships, receives subsidized meals, and attends school eleven hours a day, six days a week for eleven months each year. Under Ms. Gutierrez-Brewster's leadership, students had the opportunity to explore the cultural heritage of Motown music and attend a performance of Motown the Musical at the Straz Center. She ensured that the participating students were prepared and had the resources they needed while providing a fun learning environment.

Ms. Rosa Rocha, President, Board of Directors, Friends of Down Syndrome, Houston, TX

The collaboration between Ms. Rocha's Friends of Down Syndrome and Theatre Under the Stars allows teens and adults with Down syndrome to experience Touring Broadway, forging a lifelong bond between these individuals and theatre. Through this partnership, Ms. Rocha introduced high school and college-aged students in the Down Syndrome Academy to Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. The participants engaged loco motor and spatial awareness skills through creative movement and dance centered on the music of Cinderella; performed a waltz for attendees at the Cinderella Ball, a fundraising event for Friends of Down Syndrome; and attended a performance of Cinderella at the Hobby Center.

Mr. Bradley Wingate, Arts Academic Specialist for Greenville County Schools, Greenville, SC

Bradley Wingate has assisted the Peace Center in connecting with numerous arts teachers and school administrators in Greenville County as well as other arts organizations across the state. Through this community partnership, Mr. Wingate has championed a new professional development initiative for arts teachers to engage with Touring Broadway productions including Once, Wicked, and Pippin. Students in elementary through high school are impacted through the training provided to their teachers. Mr. Wingate is being honored for his efforts to keep the arts a valued core academic subject for all students.