This Tony Awards season is confusing, to say the least. But, in an effort to make some sense of it for myself and for all the theatre lovers, here’s what we do know:
While nominations have been announced and the nominees are in waiting, there’s been no date set for the 74th Annual Tony Awards Ceremony.
Other large American awards shows have either held their events virtually, in compliance with health guidelines, or have dates planned for the future, but nothing has been decided as to the fate of the Tonys.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Broadway productions came to a halt on March 12, 2020. What began as merely a month-long closure has led to an indefinitely long shutdown. The latest news is that the 41 Broadway theatres will remain closed until at least May 30th of 2021.
The eligibility window to be considered for a Tony nomination is created annually by the American Theatre Wing and, this year, the eligibility was set between April 25th, 2019 and February 19, 2020. Due to the closure, this narrows down the amount of productions considered to 18, as compared to the 34 of the previous season. Productions that opened too late in this year’s eligibility window were ruled out of the running because not enough of the judges would have been able to see them and vote accurately. Approximately 50 theatre professionals vote on the 26 categories every year.
Take a look at the 2019-2020 Tony Nominations Here
Initially, as with many of us, the Tony Awards coordinators were hopeful about being able to return to Radio City Music Hall for the awards show after a month-long closure. As the shutdown prolonged, the event, which is usually held in June, was cancelled.
While there is a push for waiting until all productions safely resume in order to hold the event in its traditional fashion, the American Theatre Wing has announced that the ceremony will likely be held virtually sometime in the coming year.
In conclusion--
Though things are uncertain, there is hope that we will be able to celebrate the exceptional nominees of this Broadway season soon. And we have that to look forward to until the day comes.
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