CJay Philip from the Greater Baltimore Church and the founder and creative director for Dance & Bmore in Baltimore, Maryland will be presented with the 2024 Excellence in Theatre Education Award from the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University. CJay will receive this prestigious award during the pre-show broadcast of the Tony Awards on CBS on Sunday, June 16, 2024.
From a young age, CJay was naturally gifted in dance. CJay’s mother brought her along to her older sister’s dance class. At only two years old, CJay joined the older girls in performing the routine and was accepted into the class. Growing up in Albany, New York, CJay received a scholarship to attend the Empire Institute of Performing Arts. And after studying vocal performance in college, CJay’s journey took her to Broadway. God was directing her path and she studied the Bible and became a disciple in the Daytime Ministry in the New York Church of Christ in 1991. CJay performed with different Broadway shows and toured nationally with productions of Hairspray, Big: The Musical, Street Corner Symphony, Legally Blonde, Dreamgirls, and more. CJay married her husband Winston Philip in New York in 2001.
Sherwin Mackintosh, creative arts minister at North River Church of Christ in Marietta, Georgia, first met CJay in New York when she had been selected for her first Broadway show, Big. “CJay is one of the most driven people I know,” said Sherwin. “She has more bandwidth and an eternal quest for excellence…She and Winston are a dynamic team and one of the best partnerships I have had.”
CJay and Winston relocated to the Baltimore area in 2009. God put it on CJay’s heart to serve the Baltimore community through founding Dance & Bmore, a dance studio that aims “to create meaningful human connections through movement, music, and theater in communities with people of every age and stage of life for their social and emotional well-being.” Dance & Bmore programs include FazaFam for families with young children that builds bonds and memories through music, movement, and games; summer programming for school-age children to teenagers and young adults, such as Arts Mentoring Program (AMP) Camp, Voices of Carmen, and AMP Up; and Elder Arts and Wellness that engages and empower seniors through music, movement, and storytelling.
Dance & Bmore’s Bmore Broadway Live is dedicated to producing Broadway-caliber shows directed by CJay. Recent shows include Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope in 2023 and The Fabulous, The Forefathers, & The Forgotten – A History of Blacks on Broadway in 2024. After seeing Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, critics from BroadwayWorld Baltimore wrote “Musicals that tackle such weighty topics as racism, police brutality, the Black Power movement, ghetto life, and topics that transcend race like the church, family, love, and friendship, walk a fine line between biting off more than they should and getting closer to the truth because of the journey, and those who take us on that journey with them. Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope walks that line with sheer talent and dedication, and comes out on the right side every time.”
The Excellence in Theatre Education Award was created in 2015 by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University “to help recognize a K-12 theatre educator in the U.S. who embodies the highest standards of the profession and demonstrates a positive impact on the lives of students, advancement of the theatre profession and a commitment to excellence.”
Lauren Erazo, a disciple in the Charleston Church of Christ and the operations director for Dance & Bmore, previously nominated CJay in 2022 and 2023 for the award, which resulted in an honorable mention. Lauren persevered and submitted another nomination in 2024 with more compelling stories and video of how CJay has “gone above and beyond in the field of theatre education, how she has made a difference in the lives of students and community; and how she is passionately working to advance and champion theatre education in today’s landscape.” Lauren said, “CJay actively works to remove barriers and create an inclusive environment in all Dance & Bmore’s theatre programs.”
Scott Davis, lead evangelist of the Greater Baltimore Church said, “This is certainly a remarkable achievement. But more remarkable is the way CJay achieved this award. The path of a true disciple in the arts is a difficult path. It means you can not and will not go in the direction of everyone else but take the narrow road. This sometimes leads to fewer opportunities. God has honored her faithfulness.”
On May 30, CJay was selected as the winning candidate among thousands of nominations. She will be presented with the award during the pre-show of the Tony Awards between 6:30-8pm. Viewers can access the show on their smart TV, streaming device, mobile app, or online by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the “Pluto TV Celebrity” channel. No payment, registration, or sign-in required to watch The Tony Awards: Act One on Pluto TV. Paramount+ subscription required to stream The 77th Annual Tony Awards live and on-demand. Check local listings for details.
CJay will also receive $10,000 for Dance & Bmore programs plus tickets for the Tony Awards ceremony and the Gala.
Learn more about the Excellence in Theatre Education Award.
