(CNN)Here’s a look at the Tony Awards which honor achievements on Broadway
June 5, 2016 – The 70th Annual Tony Awards are scheduled to take place.
Facts:
The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.
The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.
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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.
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.
Timeline:
April 6, 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.
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.
1997 – The Tony Awards move to Radio City Music Hall.
2015 Tony Award Winners:
Best Play – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
Best Musical – “Fun Home”
Best Revival of a Play – “Skylight”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Alex Sharp in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Helen Mirren in “The Audience”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Michael Cerveris in “Fun Home”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Kelli O’Hara in “The King and I”
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/06/us/tony-awards-fast-facts/index.html