Tony Awards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony Award
The Tony Award medallion designed by Herman Rosse in 1949
Presented by	American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League
Country	United States
First awarded	April 6, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-04-06)

The Tony Award is a super important prize for amazing live shows on Broadway. It's officially called the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre. These awards celebrate the best plays and musicals in New York City.

The American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League give out the awards. They have a big party every year in June in Manhattan. The Tony Awards are like the Academy Awards (Oscars) for movies, the Emmy Awards for TV, and the Grammy Awards for music. If someone wins all four, they've achieved an amazing feat called an EGOT!

The awards were started by a theater producer named Brock Pemberton. He named them after Antoinette Perry, who was an actress, producer, and director. She also helped start the American Theatre Wing. The trophy is a cool medallion that spins. It has faces that look like the comedy and tragedy masks used in theater.

Tony Award Categories

Most recent Tony Award winners

← 2023 2024 Tony Awards 2025 →

Award Best Leading Actor in a Play Best Leading Actress in a Play Winner Jeremy Strong (An Enemy of the People) Sarah Paulson (Appropriate)   Award Best Leading Actor in a Musical Best Leading Actress in a Musical Winner Jonathan Groff (Merrily We Roll Along) Maleah Joi Moon (Hell's Kitchen) Award Best Direction of a Musical Best Direction of a Play Winner Danya Taymor (The Outsiders) Daniel Aukin (Stereophonic)

Previous Best Musical Kimberly Akimbo Previous Best Play Leopoldstadt Best Musical The Outsiders Best Play Stereophonic

There are many different categories for Tony Awards. In 2014, there were 26 main awards, plus some special ones. The types and number of awards have changed a lot since 1947. For example, the award for "Best Book of a Musical" used to be called "Best Author (Musical)."

A special award called the Isabelle Stevenson Award was first given in 2009. It honors someone who has given a lot of their time and effort to help charities or social groups.

Some award categories have been stopped or changed over the years. For example, the "Best Special Theatrical Event" award was retired in 2010. The "Best Sound Design" awards were also stopped for a while but brought back in 2018.

Awards for Performers

These awards celebrate the actors and actresses who perform in plays and musicals.

Awards for Shows and Production

These awards recognize the entire show, its writing, music, and how it looks and sounds.

Special Tony Awards

These awards honor special achievements in theater that don't fit into the regular categories.

Awards That Are No Longer Given

Over the years, some Tony Award categories have been retired or split into new ones.

History of the Tony Awards

The Tony Awards were created in 1947 by a group from the American Theatre Wing. This group was led by Brock Pemberton. The award is named after Antoinette Perry, who was often called Tony. She was an actress, director, and producer, and she helped start the American Theatre Wing. She passed away in 1946.

The very first Tony Awards ceremony happened on April 6, 1947. It was held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The first winners didn't get the famous medallion. Instead, they received things like scrolls, cigarette lighters, and jewelry. The first Tony medallion was given out two years later, in 1949.

Since 1967, the Tony Awards ceremony has been shown on national television in the U.S. This means many people can watch it! The show often includes songs from the musicals that are nominated. The American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League work together to put on the awards.

The Tony Medallion

The Tony Award medallion was designed by an art director named Herman Rosse. It's made mostly of brass and a little bronze, with a shiny nickel coating on the outside. It sits on a black base. The front of the medallion shows a design based on the classic comedy and tragedy masks.

At first, the back of the medallion had a picture of Antoinette Perry. Later, this was changed to show the winner's name, the award category, the show's name, and the year. Since 1967, the medallion has been placed on a black base.

In 2010, the base of the award was made taller and heavier. It went from about 3.25 inches (8.3 cm) to 5 inches (12.7 cm) tall. It also became heavier, from 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) to 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg). This change was made so the award would feel more important and be easier for winners to hold up.

How Tony Awards Work

The rules for the Tony Awards are very specific. They are written down in an official document called "Rules and Regulations of The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards." These rules are updated each season.

Rules for New Shows

For a play or musical to be considered "new" for the awards, it must not have been performed on Broadway before. It also can't be a "classic" or a very well-known show that has been performed many times. This rule was added in 2002.

Sometimes, shows that started in smaller theaters (like Off-Broadway or London's West End) can still be considered "new" when they come to Broadway. Also, shows based on movies can be "new."

This rule has caused some discussion. Some people think it's unfair if a show that's been performed a lot can't win "Best Play" or "Best Musical." Others think it's fair because those shows have already had a lot of time to get better.

Who Decides and Who Votes?

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has 24 members. They decide which shows and people are allowed to be nominated for awards.

Then, the Tony Awards Nominating Committee chooses the actual nominees for each category. This group of theater experts changes every three years. They have to watch every new Broadway show! In 2014, there were 50 members on this committee.

Finally, there are about 868 people who get to vote for the winners. This number changes a little each year. These voters include people from the American Theatre Wing, actors' groups, directors' groups, and other theater professionals.

When Shows Are Eligible

To be considered for a Tony Award, a show must have officially opened on Broadway by a certain date each year. This date is set by the Management Committee. For example, for the 2013–2014 season, the deadline was April 24, 2014.

In 2020, the Tony Awards were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The awards ceremony eventually happened online later that year.

What is a Broadway Theatre?

A Broadway theatre is defined as a theater with 500 or more seats. While the rules talk about size, the Tony Awards Administration Committee decides which theaters are officially "Broadway theatres." As of 2017, there were 41 such theaters. Most of them are near Times Square in New York City, plus the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center.

Tony Award Milestones

Here are some cool facts and records about the Tony Awards!

Show Records

• Most Nominations: The musical Hamilton (2016) holds the record with 16 nominations. For non-musicals, Stereophonic (2024) had 13 nominations.
• Most Wins: The musical The Producers (2001) won the most Tony Awards ever for a single show, with 12 awards, including Best Musical.
• Most Non-Musical Wins: The play The Coast of Utopia (2007) won 7 awards, including Best Play.
• Most Nominations, Fewest Wins: Three shows were nominated for 12 Tony Awards but didn't win any: The Scottsboro Boys (2011), Mean Girls (2018), and Slave Play (2020).
• Winning All "Big Six" Musical Awards: Four musicals have won Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, and Best Direction. These are South Pacific (1950), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), Hairspray (2003), and The Band's Visit (2018).
• Winning All "Big Four" Play Awards: Two plays have won Best Play, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, and Best Direction: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1963) and The Real Thing (1984).
• All Four Acting Awards: Only one show, South Pacific (1950), has won all four acting awards in one year.
• Design Awards Sweep: Eleven shows have won all the design awards (Scenic, Costume, Lighting, and Sound since 2008).

Individual Records

• Most Wins: Harold Prince has won a record 21 Tony Awards, more than anyone else! This includes awards for directing and producing.
• Most Acting Wins: Audra McDonald holds the record for most acting Tony wins, with six awards.
• Most Nominations (Performers): Julie Harris, Audra McDonald, and Chita Rivera are tied with ten nominations each.
• Nominated in Two Categories in One Year: Six performers have been nominated in two different acting categories in the same year.
• Nominated in All Four Acting Categories: Five performers have been nominated in all four acting categories (Leading Actor/Actress, Featured Actor/Actress). Audra McDonald is the only one to win in all four!
• Winning for Playing Opposite Sex: Only four performers have won a Tony for playing a character of the opposite gender: Mary Martin (Peter Pan, 1955), Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray, 2003), Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night, 2014), and Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 2014).
• Shared Performances: The three young actors who shared the role of Billy Elliot in Billy Elliot the Musical (2009) shared a single nomination and win for Best Actor in a Musical.
• Youngest and Oldest Winners:

* The youngest actor to win a Tony was Frankie Michaels, at age 11, for Mame (1966). * The youngest actress to win was Daisy Eagan, at 11.5 years old, for The Secret Garden (1991). * The oldest actor to win was Frank Langella, at age 78, for The Father. * The oldest actress to win was Lois Smith, at age 90, for The Inheritance. * In 2013, the four young girls who shared the title role in Matilda the Musical received an honorary Tony Award. Sophia Gennusa, at age 9, became the youngest person ever to receive a Tony, even though it wasn't a competitive award.

Tony Award Firsts

• First African-American to win Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Juanita Hall for South Pacific in 1950.
• First African-American to win Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Harry Belafonte for John Murray Anderson's Almanac in 1954.
• First African-American to win Best Leading Actress in a Musical: Diahann Carroll for No Strings in 1962.
• First African-American to win Best Leading Actor in a Play: James Earl Jones for The Great White Hope in 1969.
• First African-American to win Best Leading Actor in a Musical: Cleavon Little for Purlie in 1970.
• First African-American playwright to win Best Play: Joseph A. Walker for The River Niger in 1974.
• First African-American composer to solely win Best Score: Charlie Smalls for The Wiz in 1975.
• First woman to win Best Direction of a Musical: Julie Taymor for The Lion King in 1998.
• First woman to win Best Direction of a Play: Garry Hynes for The Beauty Queen of Leenane in 1998.
• First African-American to win Best Leading Actress in a Play: Phylicia Rashad for A Raisin in the Sun in 2004.
• First woman to solely win Best Score: Cyndi Lauper for Kinky Boots in 2013.
• First person who uses a wheelchair to win a Tony Award for acting: Ali Stroker for Oklahoma! in 2019.
• First woman to win Best Sound Design of a Musical: Jessica Paz for Hadestown in 2019.
• First Latino playwright to win Best Play: Matthew López for The Inheritance in 2020.
• First openly non-binary performers to win a Tony Award: J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell in 2023.

See also

In Spanish: Premios Tony para niños

• African-American Tony nominees and winners
• Drama Desk Award
• Helpmann Awards
• Laurence Olivier Awards
• List of Tony Awards ceremonies
• List of Tony Award-nominated productions
• Obie Award
• Society of London Theatre
• Theatre World Award