Tony Awards Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the Tony Awards which honor achievements on Broadway.
June 12, 2022 – The 75th Annual Tony Awards take place.
September 26, 2021 – The 74th Annual Tony Awards take place. The ceremony was originally scheduled for June 7, 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Facts
The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.
Only productions staged in designated Broadway theatres are eligible for nominations.
The musical that holds the record for most Tony Awards is “The Producers,” in 2001. It won 12 awards out of 15 nominations.
The hip-hop infused musical “Hamilton” earned a record-setting 16 Tony nominations on May 3, 2016, including Best Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for playwright/star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Producer/director Harold “Hal” Prince has won the most Tony Awards overall (21).
Actress Audra McDonald has won the most Tony awards as a performer (six).
The Tonys are named after Antoinette Perry, a Broadway actress and director who died in 1946.
Her charitable work with the American Theatre Wing during WWII inspired the Broadway community to create an award in her honor.
The American Theatre Wing became famous for the “Stage Door Canteens,” in which GIs could drop in and be entertained by famous Hollywood and Broadway stars.
If there is only one nominee, the category is submitted to the Tony Voters. An affirmative vote of 60% of the total ballots cast will grant an Award in that category.
Timeline
April 6, 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.
The first “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play” award is a tie with Ingrid Bergman for “Joan of Lorraine” and Helen Hayes for “Happy Birthday.”
The first “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play ” award is also a tie, between Jose Ferrer for “Cyrano de Bergerac” and Fredric March for “Years Ago.”
1956 – The Tonys are broadcast on television for the first time, on the Dumont Network.
2022 Tony Award Winners (selected)
Best Play
“The Lehman Trilogy”
Best Musical
“A Strange Loop”
Best Revival of a Play
“Take Me Out”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Simon Russell Beale for “The Lehman Trilogy”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Deirdre O’Connell for “Dana H.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Myles Frost for “MJ”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Joaquina Kalukango for “Paradise Square”
2020 Tony Award Winners (selected)
Best Play
“The Inheritance”
Best Musical
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Revival of a Play
“A Soldier’s Play”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Andrew Burnap for “The Inheritance”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Mary-Louise Parker for “The Sound Inside”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Aaron Tveit for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Adrienne Warren for “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical”
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