Theater Alive!
Theater Education Residency featuring Tony Award winner G. Edwin Robinson
Presented by Equity in the Arts, a City of South Bend initiative operated in tandem with Venues Parks & Arts and the Morris Performing Arts Center
"It’s very special when you see talent in young people, and they go on to colleges and universities to major in theatre arts. I knew from an early age this is what I wanted to do, and I want to help others find their way.” – G. Edwin Robinson
Theater Alive! brings G. Edwin Robinson, 2025 winner of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, to South Bend for a two-week residency. High school students will have the opportunity to experience Mr. Robinson’s award-winning teaching through theatre masterclasses hosted at local schools before attending a student matinee of his one-man performance at the Morris Performing Arts Center. Community members of all ages are invited to meet Robinson during a panel discussion hosted at the new Raclin Murphy Encore Center in downtown South Bend. Mr. Robinson’s residency continues his efforts to expand access to arts education and to inspire communities to imagine greater possibilities through the transformative power of theatre.
Credits
G. Edwin Robinson
Gary Edwin Robinson received the 2025 Excellence in Theatre Education Award, an honor bestowed by The Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University. This award recognizes a K-12 theatre educator in the U.S. who has demonstrated exemplary impact on the lives of students and who embodies the highest standards of the profession. Mr. Robinson is head of the Theatre Arts program at Brooklyn's Boys and Girls High School, where he has worked tirelessly to expand access to arts education for all students. His Career and Technical Education pathway has given students the opportunity to shadow Broadway professionals, making sure more students know about the full breadth of careers available to them in the theatre industry.
Marvin Curtis and Equity in the Arts
Marvin Curtis is the Coordinator of Arts Equity and Public Art for the City of South Bend, Indiana. Since assuming this newly created position in 2023 in the City’s Department of Venues Parks, and Arts, Curtis has been responsible for inclusive programming and the creation of a center for Equity in the Arts in the new Raclin Murphy Encore Center. Curtis is Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend.
Equity in the Arts is an initiative by the City of South Bend which ensures that all members of the community have access to the arts and humanities through the Morris Performing Arts Center.
City of South Bend Venues Parks & Arts
Venues Parks & Arts (SBVPA) inspires a more livable South Bend for all, connecting us to emotionally engaging experiences and to one another. They envision a South Bend where every resident is positively engaged at least once every year. Their goal is to touch on four major impact drivers throughout everything they do, including: Social Equity; Neighborhood & Economic Impact; Health & Wellness; and Ecological Stewardship.
Funding & Support
This is a partner program of the 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial, supported with funding from the Notre Dame Arts Initiative.
This project is also made possible with funding from the City of South Bend Venues Parks & Arts. Venue and staffing support provided by Equity in the Arts.
Images & Media
Photo and video courtesy of G. Edwin Robinson and Equity in the Arts.