The 69th Annual Tony Awards were held on June 7, 2015, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2014–15 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and broadcast live by CBS.[2] Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming hosted the ceremony.[3]
Of the ceremony's most winning productions, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Fun Home each won five Tony Awards in the play and musical categories, respectively. Both An American in Paris and the Lincoln Center revival of The King and I took home four Tony Awards.
Awards events
Nominations
The Tony Award nominations were announced on April 28, 2015 by Mary-Louise Parker and Bruce Willis. The musicals An American in Paris and Fun Home had the most nominations with 12, followed by Something Rotten! with 10, the revival of The King and I with 9 and Wolf Hall Parts One & Two with 8.[3]
Other events
This is the first year that a new Tony Award was given for Excellence in Theatre Education (presented by Carnegie Mellon University). The award was presented to an educator who demonstrates "a positive impact on the lives of students, advancing the theatre profession and a commitment to excellence."[4]
This year, the number of nominees in several categories may be increased, depending upon the number of eligible candidates. This change affects performance categories, Best Direction of both plays and musicals, and Best Choreography.[5]
Ceremony
The Creative Arts Awards portion of the awards ceremony was hosted by Jessie Mueller and James Monroe Iglehart. The Creative Arts Awards usually include Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Orchestrations.[6]
There were performances at the awards ceremony from musicals which have been nominated for a Tony Award, and those which have not been nominated, including: An American in Paris, The King and I, On the Town, On the Twentieth Century, The Visit, Fun Home, Something Rotten!, It Shoulda Been You, Finding Neverland and Gigi.[7][8]
Presenters
The presenters included:[9][10]
Non-competitive awards
Tommy Tune received the Lifetime Achievement Award.[11] The Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre award recipients are: Adrian Bryan-Brown (press agent), Gene O'Donovan (Hudson Scenic Studio founder), and Arnold Abramson (scenery designer and painter).[12] The Cleveland Play House received the Regional Theatre Tony Award.[13] John Cameron Mitchell received the Special Tony Award for his return to Hedwig and the Angry Inch.[14] Stephen Schwartz was given the Isabelle Stevenson Award.[15] The new education award was presented to Corey Mitchell, Performing Arts Teacher and Theatre Director, Northwest School of the Arts, Charlotte, North Carolina.
