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History of the Tony Awards Timeline

(1947 - Present)

The Tony Awards, officially the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, were established in 1947 by the American Theatre Wing to honor outstanding achievements in live Broadway theatre. Named after actress and director Antoinette Perry, the awards recognize excellence in plays, musicals, acting, directing, and design. Over the decades, the Tonys have evolved into Broadway's most prestigious honor, broadcast nationally since 1967 and celebrating legendary productions and performers. Less

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Origins and Founding

Death of Antoinette Perry

1946

Antoinette Perry, nicknamed Tony, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, died in 1946. The following year, the American Theatre Wing established an award in her honor, naming it the Tony Award.

Image source: Antoinette Perry

Death of Antoinette Perry

Tony Awards founded by the American Theatre Wing

1947

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, who had died the previous year.

1st Tony Awards held at the Waldorf Astoria

Apr 6, 1947

The 1st Tony Awards was held on April 6, 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. Eleven awards were presented at this initial ceremony. As he handed out an award, Brock Pemberton called it a Tony, cementing the award's name.

First Tony medallion given to winners

1949

It was not until the third awards ceremony in 1949 that the first Tony medallion was given to award winners. Before that, winners received other tokens of recognition rather than the now-iconic medallion.

Medallion mounted on a black base

1967

The Tony medallion has been mounted on a black base since 1967, giving the award its distinctive modern appearance that winners receive on stage.

Award cost rises to $750

2009

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, reflecting rising production costs for the statuettes.

Image source: Tony Awards

Award cost rises to $750

Larger base introduced for the medallion

2010

A larger base was introduced and first presented in the 2010 award ceremony, updating the physical design of the iconic Tony medallion.

Awards and Categories

Best Director category split into play and musical directors

1960

For the category of Best Director of a Play, a single category was for directors of plays and musicals prior to 1960. The directing categories were then divided, allowing separate recognition for directors of plays and musicals.

Costume design category split into dramatic and musical

1960 - 1961

For two years, in 1960 and 1961, the costume design category was split into Best Costume Designer (Dramatic) and Best Costume Designer (Musical), before being consolidated back into a single category.

All ceremonies end with Best Musical award

2003

Since 2003, all Tony Awards ceremonies have ended with the presentation of the Tony Award for Best Musical, making it the climactic final award of the evening.

Costume design category divided again

2005

After going to a single category following 1961, the costume design award was divided again in 2005 into separate categories for plays and musicals.

First Isabelle Stevenson Award presented

2009

A then-newly established non-competitive award, the Isabelle Stevenson Award, was given for the first time at the awards ceremony in 2009, honoring individuals for their humanitarian contributions to the theatre community.

Image source: Isabelle Stevenson Award

First Isabelle Stevenson Award presented

26 categories of awards as of 2014

2014

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.

Sound design awards eliminated

2014

The categories of Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical were retired as of the 2014–2015 season, drawing criticism from the theatrical sound design community.

Petition calls for return of Sound Design categories

2014

In 2014, a petition calling for the return of the Sound Design categories received more than 30,000 signatures, demonstrating widespread support within the theatre community for restoring the awards.

Sound design awards decided by expert voter subset

2017

Addressing their previous concerns over Tony voters in the category, it was announced that upon the awards' return for the 2017–2018 season, they would be decided by a subset of voters based on their expertise.

Sound Design Award reintroduced

Apr 24, 2017

On April 24, 2017, the Tony Awards administration committee announced that the Sound Design Award would be reintroduced for the 2017–2018 season, responding to community pressure after its elimination in 2014.

Broadcasts and Viewership

Tony ceremony first broadcast on U.S. television

1967

Since 1967, the award ceremony has been broadcast on U.S. television, bringing Broadway's biggest night to national audiences and greatly expanding the awards' public profile.

20 million viewers watch the 1974 Tony broadcast

1974

Viewership of the Tony broadcast has fluctuated over the decades. In 1974, the telecast drew 20 million viewers, one of the high points in the ceremony's television history.

Keith Sherman & Associates represents the ceremony

1987 - 2004

From 1987 to 2004, the award ceremony was represented by long-time Broadway press agency Keith Sherman & Associates, which handled publicity for Broadway's most prestigious honors.

New York Times reports on Tony broadcast demographics

Jun 2003

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.' This highlighted the value of the Tonys' audience to advertisers despite modest ratings.

Voting and Eligibility

Broadway League changes producer voting eligibility

2000

In 2000, what was then The League of American Theaters and Producers changed membership eligibility and Tony voting status from a lifetime honor to all above-the-title producers, to ones who had been active in the previous 10 years.

Rule about classic productions instituted

2002

The rule about 'classic' productions was instituted by the Tony Award Administration Committee in 2002, stating in summary that a play or musical determined to be a classic would be eligible for consideration in designated categories.

First-night critics excluded as Tony voters

2009

The number of eligible Tony voters was decreased in 2009 when the first-night critics were excluded as voters, reducing the pool of approximately 868 eligible voters.

Critics' Circle members invited back as voters

2010

That decision was changed, and members of the New York Drama Critics' Circle were invited to be Tony voters beginning in the 2010–2011 season, restoring critics' voices to the voting body.

Nominating Committee grows to 50 members

Jun 2014

The Nominating Committee for the 2012–13 Broadway season (named in June 2012) had 42 members; the Nominating Committee for the 2014–2015 season has 50 members and was appointed in June 2014.

Eligible theaters consist solely of 41 venues

2016

As of the 2016–2017 season, the list of eligible theaters consisted solely of 41 theaters: 40 located in the vicinity of Times Square in New York City and Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Recent Developments

74th Annual Tony Awards postponed due to COVID-19

2020

In 2020, the 74th Annual Tony Awards were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Broadway theatres shut down and the eligibility window was extended.

Image source: 74th Tony Awards

74th Annual Tony Awards postponed due to COVID-19

74th Tony Awards announced to take place digitally

Aug 21, 2020

On August 21, 2020, it was announced that the 74th Annual Tony Awards would take place digitally later in 2020, adapting the ceremony format to pandemic conditions.

Key Facts

  1. The first Tony Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1947, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
  2. The award is named after Antoinette 'Tony' Perry, an actress, director, and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing.
  3. The Tony Awards have been televised nationally since 1967, greatly expanding their public reach.
  4. Winners receive a medallion featuring the faces of Antoinette Perry and comedy legend Pierrot.
  5. In 2015, 'Fun Home' became the first all-female writing team musical to win Best Musical, reflecting growing diversity among honorees.

Source

This History of the Tony Awards timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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