CMS theater teacher Corey Mitchell won another big award, and is planning his next act
Corey Mitchell, head of the musical theater department at Northwest School of the Arts, has won the first Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Teacher of the Year award.
It’s the second time that Mitchell has won an inaugural national theater teacher award. In 2015, he won the first Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education.
The new award was created by Tony, Oscar and Grammy recipient Stephen Schwartz, the composer and lyricist for such Broadway hits as “Wicked,” “Godspell” and “Pippin.” It was funded by a partnership with the ASCAP Foundation and EdTA, an educational theater association that produces the International Thespian Festival.
Mitchell was nominated for the award by former student Reneé Rapp, who has been starring on Broadway as Regina George in “Mean Girls.” Mitchell received a $5,000 cash prize, and recognition at a virtual ceremony on June 24 as part of the International Thespian Festival.
Mitchell attributes his success to the hard work and tenacity of his students.
“It’s so funny to be the recipient on stuff like this,” he said. “What it really means is that the work that we have been doing with these students at Northwest once again gets recognized and the light gets shined.”
Mitchell was selected out of almost 100 applicants from 40 states, said EdTA Executive Director Julie Cohen Theobald. The judges for the award were lyricist/librettist Lynn Ahrens and composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa.
When Theobald invited Mitchell to a Zoom call two weeks ago, Mitchell said he was surprised not only with the award, but being on a call with some of his favorite artists, including Schwartz, Ahrens, Lippa and Broadway star Megan Hilty.
“These were all composers or lyricists or writers whose work that I just absolutely love,” he said. “You know, that’s the stuff that I’ve directed..”
Mitchell has been teaching at Northwest for 19 years.
Former student James Kennedy, who nominated Mitchell for his Tony award, said Mitchell stands out as a teacher because of the investment he puts into his students.
“One of the things that I think is the sign of a fantastic teacher is when they see potential in students that students don’t necessarily see within themselves,” he said.
Kennedy said in high school, he started to doubt whether he wanted to perform after graduation. He said Mitchell encouraged him to explore other creative avenues, and even allowed him to be a music director for a show at Northwest, a position usually reserved for faculty.
When Kennedy was in college, Mitchell encouraged him to write a play. And when Kennedy finally wrote a show for his senior thesis, he said Mitchell flew up to Boston to see the show three times.
“It’s just really special to me to have a relationship with a teacher that has since evolved into mentorship and friendship,” he said. Kennedy is now a director, playwright and composer based in New York City.
Giving students ‘a purpose’
Mitchell stood out from other applicants because of the impact he has on students beyond theater, Theobald said.
She pointed to a documentary she saw at a film festival on a Northwest production Mitchell led of “The Color Purple,” which was selected for the 2013 International Thespian Festival.
She said the documentary, “Purple Dreams,” talked about difficult situations his students had been through, including having family members killed in shootings or dealing with homelessness.
“He takes those challenges, and he gives these students a purpose and drives them to a level of achievement where they are the best in the nation,” she said.
Theobald said Mitchell is also a role model for other teachers who come to the festival to see his shows.
Every year, the festival selects 11 student-led shows to perform. Northwest’s fall 2019 production of “A Chorus Line” was set to perform at this year’s festival, which was held virtually due to COVID-19.
Instead of performing, Mitchell and his students created a 30 minute documentary. “A Love Letter to The Chorus Line” included scenes and songs from the show, as well as interviews with cast members from the original 1975 production and the 2006 revival.
“Just the reaction speaks to his work, all these teachers admiring the standards that he set in in the midst of the challenges that he has is what really makes him special,” Theobald said.
The next act
The veteran Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools educator said he intended this to be his last year teaching, but COVID-19 changed his plans. While he will continue to teach at Northwest next year, he also began planning a new project to elevate students of color in the theater community.
Current social justice movements have inspired him to create a gap year program for students of color to prepare for performing arts programs that often lack diversity.
He said he plans to use the connections he’s made while teaching, including through the International Thespian Festival and the Tony Awards, to help him lay the groundwork for the program.
While he’s still in the planning stages for the program, Mitchell already came up with a name — “Filling in the Gaps.”
“There is this definite gap in opportunity for students,” he said. “I was like, I’ve gotta fill it in.”
