SCAPA Theatre Teacher to Receive Nod at Tony Awards

“The Tony Award is the gold standard in live theatre excellence, so it is an honor, as a theatre teacher, to be recognized.” – Alberta Labrillazo

A thank-you campaign promoting the “drama mama” of SCAPA at Bluegrass culminates with the 2024 Tony Awards, airing this Sunday (June 16) on CBS. Alberta “Bert” Labrillazo, who has taught there for 33 years, will receive an Honorable Mention for this year’s Excellence in Theatre Education Award. She and SCAPA will be listed on the Tony Awards website and in the playbill given to the audience.  

Rising eighth grader Caitlyn Douglas, who organized the award submission, had secured letters of recommendation from FCPS alum and Tony nominee Colton Ryan, SCAPA Principal Beth Randolph, and rising Lafayette sophomore Lydia Dever. Caitlyn and her classmates also created a video spotlighting their teacher:

The Excellence in Theatre Education Award, sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University, salutes a K-12 teacher in the United States who has demonstrated monumental impact on the lives of students and who embodies the highest standards of the profession. In addition to sharing a lifetime of theatre experience and advice, Labrillazo helps her students see how their skills can transfer to most any career or occupation -- public speaking, creative collaboration, project management, and growth mindset, for example.

“It is lovely to receive recognition for doing what I enjoy most -- teaching students to be the best version of themselves in doing good theatre,” she said.