The
Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a
Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live American
theatre. The awards are presented by the
American Theatre Wing and
The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for
Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are also given, including a
Special Tony Award, the
Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the
Isabelle Stevenson Award. The awards are named after Antoinette Perry, co-founder of the American Theatre Wing.
The rules for the Tony Awards are set forth in the official document "Rules and Regulations of The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards", which applies for that season only. The Tony Awards are considered the highest U.S. theatre honor, the U.S. theatre industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards (Oscars) for motion pictures, the Grammy Awards for music and the Emmy Awards for television. In British theatre, the equivalent of the Tony Award is the Laurence Olivier Award.
Since 1997, the Tony Awards ceremony has usually been held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in June and broadcast live on CBS television. The 64th Tony Awards ceremony was held on June 13, 2010, at Radio City Music Hall, with a three-hour broadcast on CBS television.
History
The award was founded by the
American Theatre Wing in 1947 at the suggestion of a committee of theatrical producers headed by
Brock Pemberton, but it was not until the third awards ceremony in 1949 that the first Tony medallion was given to award winners. The award is named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who had recently died. The first awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1947, at the
Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. Since 1997, the Tony Awards ceremony has been held at
Radio City Music Hall in New York City in June and
broadcast live on
CBS television, except in 1999, when it was held at the
Gershwin Theatre.
Awarded by a panel of approximately 700 judges from various areas of the entertainment industry and press, the Tony Award is generally regarded as the theatre's equivalent to the Oscars, for excellence in film; the Grammys for the music industry, and the Emmys for excellence in television. In British theatre, the equivalent of the Tony Award is the Laurence Olivier Award. A number of the world's longest-running and most successful shows, as well as some actors, directors, choreographers and designers, have been successful in receiving both Tony Awards and Olivier Awards.
Since 1967, the award ceremony has been broadcast on U.S. national television and includes songs from the nominated musicals, and occasionally has included video clips of, or presentations about, nominated plays. The American Theatre Wing and
The Broadway League jointly present and administer the awards. Audience size for the telecast is generally well below that of the Academy Awards shows, but the program reaches an affluent audience, which is prized by advertisers. According to an article in
The New York Times: "What the Tony broadcast does have, say CBS officials, is an all-important demographic: rich and smart. Jack Sussman, CBS's senior vice president in charge of specials, said the Tony show sold almost all its advertising slots shortly after CBS announced it would present the three hours. 'It draws upscale premium viewers who are attractive to upscale premium advertisers,' Mr. Sussman said..." For example, the 2008 Tony Awards telecast had 6.2 million viewers, the same as the 2007 telecast but down from 2006, which had 7.79 million. In contrast, the 2009 Oscar telecast had 36.3 million viewers.
;The medallion
The Tony Award medallion was designed by Herman Rosse and is a mix of mostly brass and a little bronze, with a nickel plating on the outside; a black acrylic glass base, and the nickel-plated pewter swivel. The face of the medallion portrayed an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks and, as noted, the reverse side had a relief profile of Antoinette Perry. As of the 2010 awards, the medallion will be slightly taller and heavier.
Details of the Tony Awards
Source: Tony Awards Official Site, Rules
Rules for a "new" play or musical
For the purposes of the award, a "new" play or musical is one that has not previously been produced on Broadway and is not "determined to be 'classic' or in the historical or popular repertoire", as determined by the Administration Committee, (per Section (2g)of the Rules and Regulations). This phrase has been the subject of some controversy, as some shows have been ruled ineligible for the "new" categories, meaning that their authors did not have a chance to win the marquee awards of Best Play or Best Musical (or Best Score or Best Book for musicals). On the other hand, some people feel that allowing plays and musicals that have been frequently produced to be eligible as new gives them an unfair advantage, because they will have benefited from additional development time as well as additional familiarity with the Tony voters. Shows recently transferred from
Off-Broadway or the
West End are eligible as new, as are productions based closely on movies.
Committees and voters
The
Administration Committee has 24 members: 10 designated by the American Wing, 10 by The Broadway League, and one each by the Dramatists Guild, Actors' Equity Association, United Scenic Artists and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. This committee, among other duties, determines eligibility for nominations in all awards categories.
The Nominating Committee makes the nominations for the various categories. This rotating group of up to 30 theatre professionals is selected by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. Nominators serve three-year terms and are asked to see every new Broadway production.
There are approximately 700 eligible Tony Award voters, a number that changes slightly from year to year and was decreased in 2009 when the first-night critics were excluded as voters. These include the board of directors and designated members of the advisory committee of the American Theatre Wing; members of the governing boards of Actors' Equity Association, the Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, United Scenic Artists, and the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers; members of the Theatrical Council of the Casting Society of America; and voting members of The Broadway League.
Eligibility date ("Season")
To be eligible for Tony Award consideration, a production must have officially opened by the "eligibility date" that the Management Committee establishes each year. For example, the cut-off date for eligibility the 2008-09 season was April 30, 2009. The "Season" for Tony Award eligibility is defined in the Rules and Regulations.
"Broadway" theatre
A Broadway theatre is defined as having 500 or more seats, among other requirements. While the Rules define a "Broadway" theatre in terms of its size, not its geographical location, the list of "Broadway" theatres is determined solely by the Tony Awards Administration Committee, and as of the 2008-2009 season, the list consists solely of theaters located in the vicinity of
Times Square in New York City (plus one at
Lincoln Center).
Award categories
There are presently 26 categories of awards, plus several special awards. Starting with 11 awards in 1947, the names and number of categories have changed over the years; a complete history of each award category was published in 2005.
A newly established non-competitive award, The Isabelle Stevenson Award, was given for the first time at the awards ceremony in 2009. The award is for an individual who has made a "substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations."
The category of Special Theatrical Event was "retired" as of the 2009-2010 season.
Best Play
Best Musical
Best Book of a Musical
Best Original Score
Best Revival of a Play
Best Revival of a Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Best Direction of a Play
Best Direction of a Musical
Best Choreography
Best Orchestrations
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Best Costume Design of a Play
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Best Sound Design of a Play
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Special categories
Regional Theatre Tony Award
Special Tony Award (includes Lifetime Achievement Award)
Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
Isabelle Stevenson Award
Retired awards
Tony Award for Best Author
Best Conductor and Musical Director
Tony Award for Best Revival (replaced by separate musical and play awards)
Tony Award for Best Stage Technician
Best Special Theatrical Event
Best Director (split into two categories: Best Direction of A Musical & Best Direction of A Play)
Criticism
While the theatre-going public may consider the Tony Awards to be the Oscars of live theatre, critics have suggested that the Tony Awards are primarily a promotional vehicle for a small number of large production companies and theatre owners in New York City. Only shows playing in one of 40 large "Broadway" theatres designated by the Tony Awards Management Committee are eligible for the Tony Awards. Only a portion of the Broadway theatres feature a "new" production in any given season, and there are 27 award categories, so most new shows receive one or more nominations.
Producers say that the Tony Award is the only award that sells tickets. "Winning best musical or best play, they say, means money in the bank."
Award milestones
Some notable records and facts about the Tony Awards include the following:
;Productions
The most Tony Awards ever received by a musical was The Producers with 12 awards, including best musical. The most Tonys ever received by a non-musical was The Coast of Utopia with seven awards, including best play, in 2007. The musicals that fared the worst on Tony night were Chicago (1976, losing in many categories to A Chorus Line) and Steel Pier (1997), both of which received 11 nominations, but won no awards. Ironically, Steel Pier lost in several categories to the revival of Chicago. Coincidentally, both Chicago and Steel Pier have scores by Kander and Ebb. The play Indiscretions (1995), was nominated for nine awards but did not win any.
Three musicals have won all "big six" awards for Best Musical, score, book, leading actor, actress and direction: South Pacific, and Hairspray.
Three musicals have won the Tony Award for Best Musical while the book, music and lyrics were written by one person: The Music Man (Meredith Willson), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Rupert Holmes) and Rent (Jonathan Larson). RENT and The Mystery of Edwin Drood also won the Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score, while the categories did not exist in 1957 when The Music Man was eligible.
Seven shows have won the design awards for sets, costumes and lighting: Follies (1972), The Phantom of the Opera (1986), The Lion King (1998), The Producers (2001), The Light in the Piazza (2005), The Coast of Utopia (2007) and the revival of South Pacific (2008). The 2008 revival of South Pacific is the only production to have won all four Creative Arts Tony Awards in Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design (the category having been introduced for the 2008 awards).
La Cage aux Folles recently made history as the first show to win the Tony three times for best production, including the original 1984 mounting and the 2005 and 2010 revivals.
;Individuals
Harold Prince has won 21 Tony Awards, more than anyone else, including eight for directing, eight for producing, two as producer of the year's Best Musical, and three special Tony Awards.
Stephen Sondheim has won more Tony Awards than any other composer, with eight. Bob Fosse has won the most Tonys for choreography, also eight.
Julie Harris and Angela Lansbury tie for the most performance Tony Awards with five each. Harris also has been nominated more often than any other performer, a total of ten times.
Four actresses have been nominated in two acting categories in the same year: Amanda Plummer, Dana Ivey, Kate Burton, and Jan Maxwell. Plummer in 1982 was nominated for Best Actress in a Play for A Taste of Honey and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Agnes of God, for which she won. Ivey in 1984 was nominated as Best Featured Actress in Musical for Sunday in the Park with George and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Heartbreak House. In 2002, Burton was nominated for Best Actress in Play for Hedda Gabler and Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Elephant Man. Maxwell was nominated in 2010 for Best Actress in a Play for The Royal Family and Best Featured Actress in a Play for Lend Me a Tenor.
Boyd Gaines was the first performer to be nominated for all four performance awards for which a performer is eligible: Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1989 for The Heidi Chronicles, Best Actor in a Musical in 1994 for She Loves Me, Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 2000 for Contact, Best Actor in a Play in 2007 for Journey's End, and again for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 2008 for Gypsy. The only time Gaines was nominated but did not win was for Journey's End. Raúl Esparza was the second performer to be nominated in all four categories, achieving this over a mere six seasons: Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 2004 for Taboo, Best Actor in a Musical in 2007 for Company, Best Featured Actor in a Play in 2008 for The Homecoming, and Best Actor in a Play in 2009 for Speed-the-Plow. He has yet to win.
Angela Lansbury is the only actress to be nominated for all four performance awards. She won Best Actress in a Musical for Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), (1975), and Sweeney Todd (1979). She was nominated for Best Actress in a Play for Deuce in 2007. She won Best Featured Actress in a Play for Blithe Spirit in 2009. She was nominated for Featured Actress in a Musical for A Little Night Music in 2010.
While several performers have won Tonys for roles that have involved cross dressing, only two have won for playing a character of the opposite sex: Mary Martin in the title role of Peter Pan (1955) and Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (2003). In 2000, Australian actor Barry Humphries won the Special Tony Award for a live theatrical event at the 55th Annual Tony Awards for , Dame Edna is his "Melbourne Housewife" alter-ego who was recently on Broadway in the show All About Me.
Oliver Smith has won a record eight scenic design Tony Awards, and Jules Fisher has won the most lighting design awards, also eight. Fisher has received 19 nominations as a lighting designer and one as a producer.
The first time that three lead actors were nominated and won in the same category were David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish for Billy Elliot the Musical.
See also
Drama Desk Awards
Laurence Olivier Awards
Obie Awards
New York Drama Critics' Circle
Theatre World Award
Broadway theatre
The Society of London Theatre
List of persons who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards
References
External links
Official Tony Awards website
The Broadway League
Playbill article "Broadway Theatre", July 6, 2007
John Kenrick's Dean's List Awards
Who Should Vote for the Tonys?
Category:Culture of New York City
Category:Broadway
Category:American theater awards
Category:Awards established in 1947
