Nominated for a Tony Award and a National Broadway Theatre Award for choreography for Blast!, George Pinney received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for the PBS broadcast of Blast!
Professor Emeritus and creator and former Head of the B.F.A. in Musical Theatre in the Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance at Indiana University, George has directed and/or choreographed for Broadway, the West End of London, national and international tours, regional theatres, and more than one hundred university productions.
Recognized as a master teacher, George was awarded the prestigious Friedrich Herman Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching, five Indiana University Board of Trustees Awards for Excellence in Teaching, and membership in the Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching.
With years of research and study in pedagogy and methodology, George approaches each student as a unique individual, working to develop each student’s potential for success. His outlook is global and holistic. The College of Arts and Sciences’ recognition of George as Professor of the Year underscores both his work with students and his contributions to Indiana University. His students have made their mark on Broadway, the West End, national and international tours, regional theatres from coast to coast and around the world, as well as in television and film.
Pinney’s current interests focus on new musical theatre works. His production of Front Page Flo, for which he was one of the book writers as well as director and choreographer, was a hit at the Adirondack Theatre Festival in 2018. George was also the lead book writer for Tuning In, which enjoyed highly successful runs at the Bloomington Playwrights Project in Bloomington, Indiana, and at the Adirondack Theatre Festival.