Tony Award
62nd Tony Awards
Designed by Herman Rosse, 1949
Awarded for	Excellence in theatre
Presented by	American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League
Country	United States
First awarded	1947
Official website

The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League ^[1] at an annual ceremony in New York City. The 62nd Tony Awards ceremony was held on Sunday June 15, 2008. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short originally part of the WWII Allied Relief Fund is a New York City -based organization "dedicated to supporting The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers Inc The United States of America —commonly referred to as the (Mary Antoinette Perry ( June 27, 1888 – June 28, 1946) was an actress director, and co-founder of the American Theatre The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short originally part of the WWII Allied Relief Fund is a New York City -based organization "dedicated to supporting The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers Inc The City of New York The awards are for Broadway productions and performances, as well as discretionary non-competitive Special Tony Awards and the Regional Theatre Tony Award, and the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located ^[2]

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 each season only. ^[3]

The 2008 Tony Awards ceremony will be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 15, 2008, and broadcast on CBS television. Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City 's Rockefeller Center. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The nominations were announced on May 13. ^[4]

In British theatre, the equivalent of the Tony award is the Olivier Award, and a number of the world's longest-running and most successful shows have been successful in receiving award nominations for both West End theatre and Broadway productions and a number of leading actors, choreographer and designers have also been successful in receiving award nominations on both sides of the Atlantic. The Laurence Olivier Award is regarded as the most prestigious award in British theatre and is presented in recognition of artistic achievement in London theatre West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland"

Contents 1 History 2 Details of the Tony Awards 2.1 Rules for a "new" play or musical 2.2 Committees 2.3 Eligibility date ("Season") 2.4 "Broadway" theatre 3 Award categories 4 Criticism 5 Award milestones 6 References in media 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

History

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. The entertainment industry (much of which is informally known as show business or show biz) consists of a large number of sub-industries devoted to Entertainment "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The music industry is the business of Music. Although it encompasses the activity of many music-related businesses and organizations it is currently dominated by the "big 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 actually given to award winners. The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short originally part of the WWII Allied Relief Fund is a New York City -based organization "dedicated to supporting Brock Pemberton ( December 14, 1885 - March 11, 1950) was an American Theatrical producer, director and founder of the The award is named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer, and the wartime leader of the American Theatre Wing who had recently passed away. (Mary Antoinette Perry ( June 27, 1888 – June 28, 1946) was an actress director, and co-founder of the American Theatre The first awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is a famously luxurious hotel in New York

The Tony Award trophy consists of a medallion, 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. [2]

Since 1967, the award ceremony has been broadcast on US national television and includes songs from the nominated musicals, as well as video clips of, or presentations about, nominated plays. The American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League jointly present and administer the awards. The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers Inc Audience size for the telecast is generally well below that of other awards shows, but the program reaches an affluent audience, which is prized by advertisers. ^[5]

Details of the Tony Awards

Note: all information except the rules for a new play are from: Tony Rules and Regulations

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 part of the "historical or popular repertoire. " 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 which are commonly 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. Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland"

Committees

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 Administration Committee for 2006-07: Tony Awards site

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. Nominators for 2007-2008 are listed at TonyAwards.com .

There are approximately 750 eligible voters, a number that changes slightly from year to year. 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; those persons whose names appear on the first night press list; 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 for the 2006-07 season was May 9, 2007; the cut-off date for the 2007-08 season is May 7, 2008. 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 2006-2007 season, the list consists solely of theaters located in or around Times Square in New York City. Times Square is a major intersection in Manhattan, New York City at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West The City of New York ^{[6] [7]}

Award categories

There are presently 27 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. ^[8]

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. What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical first awarded in 1949 The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken non-sung dialogue and storyline of a musical play The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the Composers and Lyricists of the best original score written for a musical The Tony Award for Best Revival (Play has only been awarded since 1994 The Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical has been awarded since 1994 The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play presented since 1947 is awarded to actors in productions of new or revival plays This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival The Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical is the Tony Awards award given to the actress who was voted as the best actress in a musical, whether a new production This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. This is a list of winners and nomination of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the' Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. The Tony Award for Best Direction has been given since 1947 In 1960 the award was split into two categories Dramatic and Musical. This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. The Tony award for Choreography has been awarded since 1947 Award winners and nominations 1940s 1947 Agnes de Mille The Tony Award for Best Orchestrations has been given since 1997 This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for outstanding set design of a play or musical. This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for outstanding set design of a play or musical. This is a list of the winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. This is a list of the winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. This is a list of the winners of the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a play or musical, first presented in 1970 This is a list of the winners of the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a play or musical, first presented in 1970 The first Tony Award for "Best Sound Design of a Play" and "Best Sound Design of a Musical" was given in the 2007-2008 season The first Tony Award for "Best Sound Design of a Play" and "Best Sound Design of a Musical" was given in the 2007-2008 season A Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event has been awarded since 2001. The Regional Theatre Tony Award is a special Tony Award given to a regional theatre company in the United States. Special Tony Award includes Lifetime Achievement Award Special Theatrical Event Excellence in Theatre and Special Tony Award Special Award winners 1940s The Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director was first presented in 1948 and later discontinued after 1964 The Tony Award for Best Revival was presented from 1977 until 1994 when it was split up into the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and the Tony Award for Best Revival The Tony Award (Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre for Stage Technician was first given in 1948 and was last presented fifteen years later in ^[9] Only shows playing in one of 39 "Broadway" theatres designated by the Tony Awards Management Committee are eligible for the Tony Awards. The 39 "Broadway" theatres are all large venues located between 40th and 66th Streets and 6th and 10th Avenues in New York City, an area surrounding Broadway from Times Square to Lincoln Center. Shows playing in "off-Broadway" or "off-off-Broadway" theatres, or shows playing outside of New York City, are not eligible. Since there are only 39 theatres, only a portion of which will be featuring a "new" production in any given season, and 27 award categories, it's likely that many "new" shows will reap at least one award.

Award milestones

Some notable records and facts about the Tony Awards include the following:^[10]

• 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. Harold Smith Prince (born January 30 1928) is an American Theatrical producer and director associated with many of the best-known Broadway
• The most Tony Awards ever received by a musical was "The Producers" with 12 awards, including best musical. The Producers is a Comedy - musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name,
• The most Tony Awards ever received by a non-musical was "The Coast of Utopia" with 7 awards including best play, in 2007. The Coast of Utopia is a 2002 trilogy of plays Voyage, Shipwreck, and Salvage, written by Tom Stoppard with focus on the philosophical "The History Boys" and the original production of "Death of a Salesman" previously held the record with 6 each. The History Boys is a play by English playwright Alan Bennett. Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play by American playwright Arthur Miller and is considered a classic of American theater
• Stephen Sondheim has won more Tony Awards than any other composer, with eight Tony Awards: Best Music and Best Lyrics for Company (1971); Best Score for Follies (1972), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd (1979), Into the Woods (1988), Passion (1994); and Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement (2008). Stephen Joshua Sondheim (born March 22 1930 is an American musical and film composer and lyricist winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (seven Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. Passion is a musical adapted from Ettore Scola 's film Passione d'Amore (which was in its turn based on Iginio Ugo Tarchetti
• Julie Harris has won the most performance Tony Awards, and has been nominated more than any other performer. This article is about the American actress For the Academy Award-winning costume designer see Julie Harris Julie Harris (born December She has won five awards for her roles in I Am a Camera - 1952, The Lark - 1956, Forty Carats - 1969, The Last of Mrs. Lincoln - 1973, and The Belle of Amherst - 1977. She has been nominated a total of ten times.
• Only three actresses have been nominated in two acting categories in the same year: Amanda Plummer, Dana Ivey, and Kate Burton. Amanda Michael Plummer (born March 23, 1957) is an American award-winning Actress. Dana Robins Ivey (born August 14, 1942) is an American Character actress. Katherine Burton (born September 10 1957) is a Daytime Emmy Award -winning British actress.
• South Pacific (1950) is the only show (Play or Musical) to win Best Production (Musical), Actor (Ezio Pinza), Actress (Mary Martin), Featured Actor (Myron McCormick), Featured Actress (Juanita Hall) and Direction (Joshua Logan). South Pacific is a musical, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and book by both Hammerstein and Joshua
• Bob Fosse has won the most Tony Awards for choreography, eight, and one more for direction. Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse ( June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American Musical theater Choreographer and Choreography: The Pajama Game (1955), Damn Yankees (1956), Redhead (1959), Little Me (1963), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1973), Dancin' (1978), and Big Deal (musical) (1986). The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7-1/2 Cents by Richard Bissell. Damn Yankees is a Musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Redhead is a Broadway musical set in London in the 1880s around the time of Jack the Ripper. Little Me is a musical written by Neil Simon, with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. This is the article on the musical For the 1969 film see Sweet Charity (film. Pippin is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O Dancin is a musical Revue first produced in 1978 directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, who won a Tony Award for the choreography Big Deal is a musical with a book by Bob Fosse using songs from various composers such as Ray Henderson, Eubie Blake, and Direction: Pippin (1973).
• The musicals that fared most poorly on Tony night were Chicago (1976) and Steel Pier (1997), both of which received 11 nominations but won no awards. Chicago is a Kander and Ebb musical set in prohibition era Chicago. Steel Pier is a musical written by the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb from the original book by David Thompson. Coincidentally, both shows have scores by John Kander and Fred Ebb. John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927 in Kansas City Missouri) is the American Composer Fred Ebb ( April 8 1933 &mdash September 11 2004) was a Musical theatre lyricist Chicago competed against A Chorus Line, which dominated the musical categories with nine awards. A Chorus Line is a musical about seventeen Broadway Dancers auditioning for spots on a Chorus line. Steel Pier saw several of its nominations lose to the revival of Chicago which, on its second outing, took home six awards. The play Indiscretions (1995), was not far behind, being nominated for nine awards and winning none.
• While several performers have won Tonys for roles that have involved cross dressing, only two have won for performing in roles in which the character is actually a member of the opposite sex: Mary Martin in the title role of Peter Pan (1955) and Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (2003). Mary Virginia Martin ( December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American Tony Award -winning star of stage film Harvey Forbes Fierstein (born June 6 1952) is a Tony Award winning American Actor, Playwright, and Screenwriter.
• Only a handful of shows have won the triple crown of design awards; Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Lighting Design: Follies (1972), The Phantom of the Opera (1988), The Lion King (1998), The Producers (2001), The Light in the Piazza (2005) and The Coast of Utopia (2007). Oliver Smith is the scenic designer with the most Tony Awards, eight: My Fair Lady (1957), West Side Story (1958), The Sound of Music (1960), Becket (1961), Camelot (1961), Hello, Dolly! (1964) and Baker Street (1965), as well as a special Tony Award (1965). Oliver Smith may refer to Oliver Smith (actor (b 1952 English-Canadian actor Oliver Smith (designer (1918-1994 American scenic Jules Fisher is the lighting designer with the most Tony Awards, eight: Pippin (1973), Ulysses in Nighttown (1974), Dancin' (1978), Grand Hotel: the Musical (1990), The Will Rogers Follies (1991), Jelly's Last Jam (1992), with Peggy Eisenhauer, Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk (1996), and Assassins (2004). Jules Fisher (born November 12, 1937) is an award-winning Lighting designer and producer He has received 19 nominations as a lighting designer and one as a producer, of Dancin'.

References in media

In the Seinfeld episode The Summer of George, Jerry and Kramer are at the Tonys and Kramer is seen carrying a Tony for the fictional play, Scarsdale Surprise, that he took along with him. "The Summer of George" is the 156th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. Unfortunately, after a beatdown by Raquel Welch, his Tony is smashed to bits. Raquel Welch (born September 5 1940 is a Golden Globe -winning American actor who achieved fame as a Hollywood sex symbol during the 1960s

References

See also

• Drama Desk Awards
• Laurence Olivier Awards
• Obie Awards
• New York Drama Critics' Circle
• Theatre World Award
• Broadway theatre
• Off-Broadway
• Off-off-Broadway
• The Society of London Theatre
• Theatre Pasta Theatre Awards
• List of persons who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards

External links

• Official Tony Awards website
• The Broadway League
• playbill article "Broadway Theatre", 7/6/07

The Drama Desk Award, created in 1955, is an award which recognizes shows produced on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-off-Broadway, and The Laurence Olivier Award is regarded as the most prestigious award in British theatre and is presented in recognition of artistic achievement in London theatre The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards bestowed by The Village Voice newspaper to Off-Broadway Theater The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of twenty-two Drama Critics from daily Newspapers, Magazines and Wire services The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City. Off-Off-Broadway refers to theatrical productions including plays, musicals or Performance art pieces performed in New York City in smaller theatres The Society of London Theatre (previously The Society of West End Theatre) is an umbrella organization for West End theatre in London. The Theatre Pasta Theatre Awards are administered by three organizationsChilsag International Actor’s Experimental Lab USA and Theatre Pasta the InternationalTheatre Magazine This is a list of persons who have won Grammy, Academy, Tony, and Emmy Awards, "GATE", the four major entertainment awards

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