The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre,American Theatre Wing. "2014 Rules for use of Tony Awards trademarks" tonyawards.com, April 8, 2017 more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway LeagueGans, Andrew (December 18, 2007). "League of American Theatres and Producers Announces Name Change" . Playbill. Retrieved September 13, 2013. The League of American Theatres and Producers was renamed "The Broadway League". at an annual ceremony in Manhattan. The ceremony is usually held in June.
The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award.Staff (undated). "Who's Who" . tonyawards.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
The awards were founded by theatre producer and director Brock Pemberton. They are named after Antoinette "Tony" Perry, an actress, producer, theatre director and administrator who was co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing. The trophy consists of a spinnable medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks, mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel.
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."Tony Awards Rules and Regulations for 2013–14 season" Tony Awards, accessed June 12, 2014 The Tony Awards are the New York theatre industry's equivalent to the Emmy Awards for television, the Grammy Awards for music, and the Academy Awards (Oscars) for cinema. A person who has won all four is said to have won the EGOT. The Tony Awards are the U.S. equivalent of the United Kingdom's Laurence Olivier Awards, France's Molière Awards, Spain's Premios Max, Australia's Helpmann Awards, Norway's Hedda Award and Russia's Golden Mask.
Award categories
As of 2014, there were 26 categories of awards, in addition to several special awards. Starting with 11 awards in 1947, the names and number of categories have changed over the years. Some examples: the category Best Book of a Musical was originally called "Best Author (Musical)". The category of Best Costume Design was one of the original awards. For two years, in 1960 and 1961, this category was split into Best Costume Designer (Dramatic) and Best Costume Designer (Musical). It then went to a single category, but in 2005 it was divided again. For the category of Best Director of a Play, a single category was for directors of plays and musicals prior to 1960.Pesner, Ben (April 27, 2009). "The Tony Awards: Category by Category (2009)" Tony Awards. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
A then-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".Gans, Andrew (October 8, 2008). "Tony Awards to Present Isabelle Stevenson Award in May 2009" Playbill. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
The category of Best Special Theatrical Event was retired as of the 2009–2010 season.Gans, Andrew (June 18, 2009)."Tony Awards Retire Special Theatrical Event Category" Playbill. Retrieved June 8, 2026. The categories of Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical were retired as of the 2014–2015 season.Bowgen, Philippe (June 11, 2014). "Tony Award Administration Committee Eliminates Sound Design Categories" Playbill. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
On April 24, 2017, the Tony Awards administration committee announced that the Sound Design Award would be reintroduced for the 2017–2018 season.American Theatre Editors (April 24, 2017). "Tony Awards to Reinstate Sound Design Categories" American Theatre. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
Performance categories
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play Best Performance by a Featured 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 Musical Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Show and technical categories
Best Musical Best Revival of a Musical Best Direction of a Musical Best Book of a Musical Best Original Score Best Orchestrations Best Choreography Best Scenic Design in a Musical Best Costume Design in a Musical Best Lighting Design in a Musical Best Sound Design of a Musical Best Play Best Revival of a Play Best Direction of a Play Best Scenic Design in a Play Best Costume Design in a Play Best Lighting Design in a Play Best Sound Design of a Play
Special awards
Regional Theatre Tony Award Special Tony Award (includes Lifetime Achievement Award) Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre Isabelle Stevenson Award
Retired awards
Best Author Best Conductor and Musical Director Best Costume Design Best Lighting Design Best Newcomer Best Revival Best Scenic Design Best Stage Technician Best Special Theatrical Event Best Director
History
The award was founded in 1947 by a committee of the American Theatre Wing (ATW), headed by Brock Pemberton. The award is named after Antoinette Perry, nicknamed Tony, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who died in 1946. As her official biography at the Tony Awards website states, "At [Warner Bros. story editor] Jacob Wilk's suggestion, [Pemberton] proposed an award in her honor for distinguished stage acting and technical achievement. At the initial event in 1947, as he handed out an award, he called it a Tony. The name stuck." Nevertheless, the awards were sometimes referred to as the "Perry Awards" in their early years.
The 1st Tony Awards was held on April 6, 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.Bloom, Ken (2004). "Tony Award" Broadway Its History, People and Places. Taylor & Francis. p. 531. . The first prizes were "a scroll, cigarette lighter and articles of jewelry such as 14-carat gold compacts and bracelets for the women, and money clips for the men". ATW co-founder Louise Heims Beck was responsible for overseeing the organization of the first awards. It was not until the third awards ceremony in 1949 that the first Tony medallion was given to award winners.
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 a June 2003 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..."McKinley, Jesse (June 1, 2003). "The Tony Awards; Is There a Tony Doctor in the House". The New York Times. Retrieved September 13, 2013. Tony Homepage tonyawards.com
The viewership has declined from the early years of its broadcast history. For example, the number of viewers in 1974 was 20 million; in 1999, it was 9.2 million. For most of the 2000s, viewership was between six and eight million viewers.Gorman, Bill (June 10, 2011)."Guess This Year's 'Tony Awards' Viewership (Poll) + Ratings History". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 13, 2013. In contrast, the 2009 Oscar telecast had 36.3 million viewers.Bierly, Mandi (February 24, 2009). "Ratings: Oscars Up, 'Dollhouse' Down" . Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 13, 2013. From 1987 to 2004, the award ceremony was represented by long-time Broadway press agency, Keith Sherman & Associates. Since 2003, all Tony Awards ceremonies have ended with the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Medallion The Tony Award medallion was designed by art director 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 portrays an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks. Originally, the reverse side had a relief profile of Antoinette Perry; this later was changed to contain the winner's name, award category, production and year. The medallion has been mounted on a black base since 1967.
A larger base was introduced and first presented in the 2010 award ceremony. That base is slightly taller , up from and heavier , up from . This change was implemented to make the award "feel more substantial" and easier to handle at the moment the award is presented to the winners, according to Howard Sherman, the executive director of the American Theatre Wing:
For the specific Tony Awards presented to a Broadway production, awards are given to the author and up to two of the producers free of charge. All other members of the above-the-title producing team are eligible to purchase the physical award. Sums collected are designed to help defray the cost of the Tony Awards ceremony itself. An award cost $400 as of at least 2000, $750 as of at least 2009, and, as of 2013, had been $2,500 "for several years", according to Tony Award Productions.
Details of the Tony Awards Source: Tony Awards Official Site, RulesStaff (undated). "Rules & Voting". tonyawards.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
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 a 'classic' or in the historical or popular repertoire", as determined by the Administration Committee (per Section (2g) of the Rules and Regulations). The rule about "classic" productions was instituted by the Tony Award Administration Committee in 2002, and stated (in summary) "A play or musical that is determined ... to be a 'classic' or in the historical or popular repertoire shall not be eligible for an award in the Best Play or Best Musical Category but may be eligible in that appropriate Best Revival category."Gans, Andrew; Simonson, Robert (September 19, 2002). "New Tony Awards Ruling on Classic Texts May Affect Current and Upcoming Shows" . Playbill. Retrieved September 13, 2013. Shows transferred from Off-Broadway or the West End are eligible as "new", as are productions based closely on films.
This rule has been the subject of some controversy, as some shows, such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Violet, have been ruled ineligible for the "new" category, meaning that their authors did not have a chance to win the important 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.
Committees and voters