Intro
By Mariana Seda
To win an ‘EGOT’ is widely considered the pinnacle of achievement in the entertainment industry. An EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award – demands talents that go beyond a single creative field and into multiple realms of entertainment. Winners run the likes of television, film, and theater legends like Richard Rodgers, Rita Moreno, and Viola Davis, as well as newer stars like Jennifer Hudson.
The College of Fine and Applied Arts is an ‘EGOT’ winner too. Well, maybe we didn’t win these awards, but we have fabulous alumni who have, and collectively, they bring the prestigious ‘EGOT’ to FAA!
We’d like to take a moment to spotlight some of our award-winning alumni who have recently returned to campus to inspire the next generation of talent.
Japan House director Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud joins Offerman at the Japan House in 2023. Photo by Fred Zwicky.
Emmy
Nick Offerman (BFA ’93 Acting)
Nick Offerman won an Emmy Award in 2023 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in the HBO series The Last of Us. The actor, author, and woodworker, best known for his role as Ron Swanson in NBC’s Parks and Recreation, studied acting in the Department of Theatre. Upon graduation, he moved to Chicago and worked as an actor and set carpenter before moving to Los Angeles. He has continued to support and advocate for the U of I Japan House through personal contributions and fundraising efforts and has continued his longtime friendship with teacher and mentor Professor Emeritus Shozo Sato. Offerman served as the 2017 Illinois Commencement speaker and most recently returned in 2023 on his comedy tour to help raise money for the Ogura/Sato Japan House annex.
Japan House director Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud joins Offerman at the Japan House in 2023. Photo by Fred Zwicky.
Nally conducts his ensemble The Crossing in 2017. Photo by Jill Steinberg.
Grammy
Donald Nally (DMA ’95 Choral Music)
Donald Nally has won three Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance as conductor of the choral ensemble The Crossing. Out of nine consecutive nominations from 2017–2024, their wins include Born (2023), Zealot Canticles (2019), and The Fifth Century (2018). As conductor, Nally not only selects the group’s repertoire but also collaborates with artists, orchestras, and art museums to create new works that address social and environmental issues, continuously challenging the notions of how a choir should sound. Together, Nally and The Crossing have commissioned over 180 works, produced 34 recordings, and traveled to stages all over the world from National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk to Carnegie Hall. Rising w/ The Crossing, a series they created as a response to the 2020 pandemic, has been archived by The Library of Congress as a cultural artifact. In 2021, Nally joined the School of Music on their sonorities podcast to discuss his process when approaching new work and the feats they overcame to make collective music during a pandemic.
Nally conducts his ensemble The Crossing in 2017. Photo by Jill Steinberg.
Lee speaks to students and guests in a room at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts during his visit to campus in 1997. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer.
Oscar
Ang Lee (BFA ’80 Acting)
Ang Lee has won several Academy Awards including Best Director for Brokeback Mountain (2005); Best Director for Life of Pi (2012); and Best Foreign Language Film for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Born and raised in Taiwan, Lee traveled to the United States to study acting with the Department of Theatre. After graduation, Lee pivoted to filmmaking and directing and pursued a master’s in film production at New York University. He spent years writing and submitting screenplays before finally getting his first break with several foreign-language films that landed him Oscar recognition and opened a pathway for him to begin directing English-language films. Lee graced the university with his (onscreen) presence at the 2020 Illinois Virtual Commencement Celebration, and just the year before, sent a birthday message to Krannert Center for its 50th anniversary, stating “those years [at Krannert Center] gave me the foundation for what I know and what I do.”
Lee speaks to students and guests in a room at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts during his visit to campus in 1997. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer.
Stites serves as music director and leads a workshop of Take Flight with Lyric Theatre in 2018. Photo by Darrell Hoemann.
Tony
Kevin Stites (BMUS ’78, MMUS ’82)
Kevin Stites’ career as a music director and conductor spans 13 Broadway productions including Nine, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 2003, Sunset Boulevard (Best Musical, 1995), and Titanic (Best Musical, 1997), along with many regional credits and tours of iconic shows like Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera. He has musically directed concerts for headliners like Kristin Chenoweth, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Lea Salonga, and served as the conductor for The Radio City Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular for six years. Remarkably, he has also conducted the orchestra for several TV broadcasts of The Tony Awards, as well as the orchestra tracks for the film REEFER MADNESS. Stites most recently conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, and has guest conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Grant Park Symphony Orchestras. Stites earned two degrees from the School of Music and has returned to campus to give workshops and masterclasses – most recently, leading a workshop for Take Flight with Lyric Theatre in 2018.
Stites serves as music director and leads a workshop of Take Flight with Lyric Theatre in 2018. Photo by Darrell Hoemann.
EGOT + B(essie)
In the world of dance, the Bessie Awards are known as a top honor. The New York Dance and Performance Awards recognize pioneering work in choreography, performance, music composition, visual design, legacy, and service to the field of dance. Established in 1984, the awards are known as “The Bessie” in honor of esteemed dance teacher Bessie Schönberg. The Department of Dance boasts many Bessie winners including alumni Oluwadamilare Ayorinde (MFA ’24), Michelle Boule (BFA ’99), Leslie Cuyjet (BFA ’03), and Angie Pittman (MFA ’15), as well as 2020 Bessie honoree Tess Dworman (BFA ’07).
From left to right (top row): Oluwadamilare Ayorinde, Michelle Boule, Leslie Cuyjet (photo by Maria Baranova); (bottom row): Angie Pittman (photo by Whitney Browne), Tess Dworman (photo by Amelia Golden)
List of Alumni and Faculty Award Winners
We have many current and past faculty and alumni who have won prestigious awards. The following list showcases some who have won entertainment awards. It is not a fully comprehensive list. If you have more information about other FAA graduates or faculty awards, please email us at faa-advancement@illinois.edu.
Emmy Awards
- Michael Colgrass (BMUS ’86)
- Janice Ferri Esser (BFA Graphic Design, ’81)
Grammy Awards
- George H. Crumb (MMUS ’52)
- Professor Nathan Gunn (BMUS ’94)
- Craig Hella Johnson (MMUS ’85)
- James Blachly (MMUS ’13)
- Professor William Warfield
- Jerry Hadley (MMUS ’77)
Tony Awards
- Robert Falls (Theatre ’76)
- Professor Emeritus Daniel J. Sullivan
- Brett Ashley Robinson
Bessie Awards
- Professor Tere O’Connor
- Associate Professor Roxane D’ Orleans Juste
- Professor Jennifer Monson
- Professor Cynthia Oliver
- Emeritus Professor Beverly Blossom