Toby Barbara Orenstein (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Press; born May 23, 1937) is an American theatrical director, producer, and educator. She has two honorable mentions for the

Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre The Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre is a non-competitive award created by the American Theatre Wing in 1990. They are presented to institutions, individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre, bu ...

. Orenstein was inducted into the

Maryland Women's Hall of Fame Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in 2008. Selected by

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

for her federal education project in the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, Orenstein taught

Dramaturgy Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The role of a dramaturg in the field of modern dramaturgy is to help realize the multifaceted world of the play for a production u ...

to students in a local public school in the late 1950s. In 1972, at the request of pioneering businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

James Rouse James Wilson Rouse (April 26, 1914 – April 9, 1996) was an American businessman and founder of The Rouse Company. Rouse was a pioneering American real estate developer, urban planner, civic activist, and later, free enterprise-based philanthr ...

, Orenstein founded the non-profit Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts through which, the nationally acclaimed theatre troupe the Young Columbians was created for the

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memo ...

. Later, Orenstein established the award-winning Toby's Dinner Theatre in 1979. Alongside her work in theatre, Orenstein is a community and social activist, and is the president of the board of directors for the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts. She raises funds for scholarships and community programs including over ten years of producing Labor of Love to raise money for the AIDS Alliance of Howard County. Orenstein has also chaired and directed the Howard County Arts Gala for the Arts Council (3 years), participated in the events for the Carson Scholars Fund, and directed and produced plays for

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

and the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

stationed overseas. In 2014, Orenstein was honored with the Leadership Award for Accessibility by the Howard County Commission on Disabilities.

Early life

Orenstein was born

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, to Mildred and Sam Press. As a child, Orenstein had an innate proclivity towards drama leading to her first role was as a pilgrim in a kindergarten play. This interest in drama continued through

Primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

where she directed shows in school and on the playground with her classmates. Orenstein successfully auditioned for the selective

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was ...

in New York City. Onlookers of the audition described her delivery of a

monologue In theatre, a monologue (also known as monolog in North American English) (in , from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts ...

as coming from "the gut." After the initial excitement of the acceptance, Orenstein eventually developed a dislike of the school's "lacking support system." Orenstein says of her time at the Performing Arts school, “ t wascut-throat competitive, not at all a nurturing environment.” Subsequently, Orenstein transferred to a local Bronx high school in the middle of her junior year where she won best actress and directed the senior show.

Career

Upon graduation with a B.F.A. in theatre and a minor in education from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, Orenstein was selected as one of twelve teachers for

's federal education project in

, New York called the All Day Neighborhood School Project. Having seen her teach at the Burn Brae Dinner Theatre in

Burtonsville, Maryland Burtonsville is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is situated in the northeast corner of Montgomery County, right on the border of both Howard and Prince George's counties. I ...

, in 1972

asked Orenstein to move to Columbia, where she became the founder and director of the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is funded, in part, by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, th
Maryland State Arts Council
and th
Howard County Arts Council
In 1975, she created the Young Columbians, a dynamic performance troupe of young people aged 8–21. Its graduates include several Broadway actors and, most notably, former Howard County resident

Edward Norton Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. After graduating from Yale College in 1991 with a degree in history, he worked for a few months in Japan before moving to New York City ...

, an acclaimed actor, activist and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominee. Other notable alumni of the Young Columbians include Steve Blanchard and Caroline Bowman. Performance venues include the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, Wolf Trap,

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,

Merriweather Post Pavilion Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located in the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the United States by ''Billboard'' magazine. The venue was also ranke ...

The Fillmore The Fillmore is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California. Built in 1912 and originally named the Majestic Hall, it became the Fillmore Auditorium in 1954. It is in Western Addition, on the edge of the Fillmore District and Upper Fil ...

Lake Kittamaqundi Lake Kittamaqundi is a man made reservoir located in Columbia, Maryland in the vicinity of the Mall in Columbia as well as Merriweather Post Pavilion. It is also adjacent to offices and visible from US-29 MD, US-29. The lake was created by The ...

The Ellipse The Ellipse, sometimes referred to as President's Park South, is a park south of the White House fence and north of Constitution Avenue and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. The Ellipse is also the name of the circumference ...

, House of the Temple, the Washington D.C. Temple, and others. Since 1979, Orenstein is also the Artistic Director and owner of Toby's Dinner Theatre in

Columbia, Maryland Columbia is a planned community in Howard County, Maryland, United States, consisting of 10 self-contained villages. With a population of 104,681 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most-populous community in Maryland ...

Personal life

Orenstein is married to

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

Harold (Hal) Orenstein. Together they have two children: a son, Jeffery (born 1961), and a daughter, Mindy (born 1963). They reside in

Education and awards

Education

(first 2.5 years) *

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

(area) High School * Cortland State Teachers' College (first year) * B.F.A. in Theatre with a minor in education from

Awards

* 1985: Voted Columbian of the Year by ''Columbia Magazine'' * 1990: Howie Award for outstanding contributions to the Arts in Howard County * 1996: Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Director of a Musical * 1996: Business Volunteer of the Year, Howard County * 1996-99: Voted Best of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

by ''

Baltimore Magazine ''Baltimore'' is a monthly magazine published in Baltimore, Maryland by Rosebud Entertainment L.L.C., a company owned by Steve Geppi and led by its President Michael Teitelbaum. It is the oldest, continuously published city magazine in the con ...

'' for Toby's Dinner Theatre * 1998: Outstanding Women by the Maryland State Department of Education for creativity and enriching the lives of people in Maryland * 1997:

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

Alliance Community Recognition Award for 10 years of service, support and guidance * 2001: Featured in the book: ''Lives in Arts: Sixteen Women Who Changed Theatre in Baltimore'' * 2001: Selected Honorary Chair for Howard County Arts Gala * 2002: Named to Howard County Women's Hall of Fame * 2003: Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical, '' Jekyll & Hyde''; Maryland's Top 100 Women, ''The Daily Record'' * 2004:

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

Summer Assessment Grant * 2005: Outstanding Service to Educational Theatre, Maryland Theatre Association * 2007: Marylander of Distinction, ''Maryland Life Magazine'' * 2008: Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, Maryland Commission for Women * 2011: Exemplar Award: ACE Hall of Fame, Howard County Chamber of Commerce * 2012: Sue Hess Maryland Arts Advocate of the Year Award
Maryland Citizens for the Arts
* 2015: Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Employee of the Year from the Association of Community Services of Howard County * 2015: Sonya Award from th
Carson Scholars fund
and presented by

Ben Carson Ben Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgery, neurosurgeon, academic, author, and government official who served as the 17th United States secretary of housing and urban development from 2017 to 2021. A pio ...

* 2016: Person of the Year: Readers' Choice Awards, Maryland Theatre Guide * 2016: Helen Production Award nomination with Lawrence B. Munsey for Outstanding Director of a Musical, '' Ragtime, The Musical''. * 2016: Helen Production Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical, ''Ragtime, The Musical''. * 2017:

Honorable Mention presented by

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

Footnotes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orenstein, Toby Living people 1937 births 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists 21st-century American actresses Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Businesspeople from Baltimore Businesspeople from New York City Bronx People from Columbia, Maryland American women philanthropists People from Howard County, Maryland Philanthropists from New York (state) Jewish American actresses American philanthropists Jewish American artists Educators from Maryland American patrons of the arts Educators from New York City 20th-century American educators 21st-century American educators 20th-century American women educators 21st-century American women educators 21st-century American Jews