Get Ready for Broadway's Biggest Night: The 77th Annual Tony Awards!
The Scene gets you ready for this Sunday's 77th Annual Tony Awards! Plus, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed!
Welcome to The Scene, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed. In this week's email,
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s 77th Annual Tony Awards!
Plus, we keep you informed about the most crucial theatre news and stories from the last week.
So, raise the curtain, shine the spotlight, and dive into another thrilling week in the world of theatre. Welcome to The Scene.
Idina Menzel Will Return to Broadway in “Redwood” Musical in 2025 by Andrew Gans, Playbill | Tina Landau directs the new work, which she conceived with Wicked Tony winner Menzel. Read...
“Floyd Collins” Is Getting a Broadway Debut Via Lincoln Center Theater by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | Tina Landau will direct the new production of the musical she wrote with Adam Guettel, part of the company's newly announced season. Read...
“Stereophonic” Leads 2024 Drama Desk Awards With 7 Wins Including Outstanding Play by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | Off-Broadway's “Dead Outlaw” is the most nominated of this year's shows, with 11 nominations, including Outstanding Musical. Read...
“The Heart of Rock and Roll” Wins the Actors' Equity Association Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus by Andrew Gans, Playbill | The award will be presented June 24 during a ceremony hosted by Danny Burstein that will also be live-streamed. Read...
Looking for news on the Tony Awards? Check out the Big Idea Story below!
Broadway Licensing Global Launches U.K. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” Secondary School Edition Website by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | Designed for teenage performers, the new edition of the Tony- and Olivier-winning work is now available to schools worldwide. Read...
USC to Make MFA Program in Acting and Dramatic Writing Tuition Free by Diep Tran, Playbill | The California school joins Juilliard and Yale in making drama school more affordable. Read...
Meet the 2024 Jimmy Award Nominees by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | Josh Groban will host the annual event celebrating the best in high school musical theatre on June 24. Read...
Announcing the Program Mentors and Cast for Challenge Accepted! A Concert Presenting the Winners of the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge The seven winning songs from the 2023-2024 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre for high school students to develop and showcase musical compositions that could be a part of a musical theater production. Read...
All the Lonely People by Sarah Ruhl, American Theatre | We say theatre can be healing, but what if that were literally true? Read...
The Big Idea
Get Ready for Broadway's Biggest Night: The 77th Annual Tony Awards!
by Zach Dulli, The Scene
This Sunday, the 77th Annual Tony Awards will take center stage as the theatre community comes together to celebrate the best of Broadway. Whether you're a seasoned theatergoer or a first-time viewer, prepare for an evening where the magic of Broadway shines brightest. Here's your guide to making the most of this year’s Tony Awards.
When and Where to Watch: The excitement begins with The Tony Awards: Act One, hosted by Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar, airing on Pluto TV from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. The Tony Awards: Act One will not only feature exclusive content but also the presentation of a first round of awards. Then, immediately following at 8:00 PM, head over to CBS or Paramount+ for the start of the 77th Annual Tony Awards, broadcasting live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Tony Awards Host: Returning for her third consecutive year, the multi-talented Ariana DeBose will host the 77th Annual Tony Awards. Known for her dynamic roles on Broadway and her Academy Award-winning performance in Stephen Spielberg’s "West Side Story," DeBose is set to bring her unique charm and talent to the stage once again, ensuring the night is as enchanting and entertaining as the performances it honors.
Star-Studded Presenters: The lineup of presenters for this year’s Tony Awards reads like a who's who of Hollywood and Broadway. Presenters will include Nate Burleson, Cynthia Erivo, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Gad, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sean Hayes, Jennifer Hudson, Angelina Jolie, Nick Jonas, Idina Menzel, Ashley Park, Jim Parsons, Wendell Pierce, Ben Platt, Anthony Ramos, Andrew Rannells, Solomon Thomas, Taylor Tomlinson, Pete Townshend, Tamara Tunie, Adrienne Warren, Patrick Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, and more. With such a diverse and accomplished group, the stage is set for a night of memorable moments and heartfelt speeches.
The Nominees: This year's nominations are led by "Hell’s Kitchen" and "Stereophonic," each with a staggering 13 nods. These productions, along with this year’s other nominees, represent the best of Broadway's offerings from the 2023-2024 season. Notable mentions in the Best Actor and Actress categories include talents like Jonathan Groff, Jessica Lange, Rachel McAdams, Leslie Odom, Jr., Sarah Paulson, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, and Michael Stuhlbarg have all brought their exceptional skills to the stage, earning them well-deserved nominations.
Check out the complete list of this year’s Tony Award nominees.
Performances to Anticipate: This year’s ceremony will showcase performances from eight of the shows nominated for Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical. They include Illinoise, Hell’s Kitchen, Suffs, The Outsiders, Water for Elephants, Cabaret at the KitKat Club, The Who’s Tommy, and Merrily We Roll Along. They will take center stage alongside a musical performance from Best Play nominee Stereophonic.
A Night to Remember: The Tony Awards are more than just an awards ceremony; they are a celebration of the rich, diverse, and impactful world of theater. They remind us of the power of live performance and its ability to touch hearts, provoke thought, and bring people together. So, prepare for an evening of spectacle and heart-stirring performances. Whether you're a seasoned theatre-goer or a curious first-timer, the 77th Tony Awards promise to be an unforgettable night.
To delve deeper into the nominees and the nominated shows, check out the articles below and get fully prepared for tomorrow's Tony Awards:
43 Tony Nominees and the Shows That Shaped Them by Michael Paulson, Julia Jacobs, Jolie Ruben, Amanda Webster, Photographs by Dana Scruggs, The New York Times | The Tony Awards are Sunday. Each year we photograph nominated performers and talk to them about their craft. This time, we asked about early theater memories. Read...
Tony Predictions: Expect Wins for “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Stereophonic” by Michael Paulson, The New York Times | Times reporter Michael Paulson surveyed a quarter of Tony voters before Sunday’s ceremony. One certainty: Sondheim’s onetime flop seems destined for redemption. Read...
Inside the American Theatre Wing and the Tony Awards with Heather Hitchens by Ruthie Fierberg, Broadway News | In the first part of this Q&A series, American Theatre Wing president and CEO Heather Hitchens explains the Wing’s involvement in the Tony Awards, and her take on the purpose of the awards. Read...
Toast to the Tonys With These Libations Inspired By 2024 Tony-Nominated Shows by Julia Chambers, Playbill | Sweet Hospitality Group has created three inventive cocktails and one mocktail inspired by some of this season's best. Read...
Tony Producers on Changes For This Year’s Show, “Stereophonic” and Their Plan to Honor Plays by Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter | "What I'm saying is you never know what's gonna happen on the Tony Awards," producer and director Glenn Weiss said of this year's lineup. Read...
Listen to the Best Tracks From 8 Tony-Nominated Shows by Jesse Green, The New York Times | “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Stereophonic,” and others are up for top prizes at Sunday’s ceremony. The New York Times critics take stock of their cast albums, all available now. Read...
All in the Details: Tony-Nominated Set Designers on Getting It Right by Erik Piepenburg, The New York Times | For this year’s nominees, some of their most rewarding — and realistic — work was in the smaller details. Read...
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding’s” Jocelyn Bioh on Breaking Barriers for Black Woman Playwrights: ‘It’s for Every Single Black Woman Who Has Put Pen to Paper’ by Angelique Jackson, Variety | April 30 was a “great day” to be Jocelyn Bioh, playwright of the hit Broadway show “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” Read...
How Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ investigation of the family drama led to “Appropriate” by Ruthie Fierberg, Broadway News | The playwright shares how his desire to understand the genre created the Tony Award-nominated revival. Read...
Jessica Lange and Paula Vogel on Breaking, and Keeping, the Family Contract by Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times | In the Tony-nominated “Mother Play,” the writer conjures warm memories and thorny ones, not to judge her mother but to understand — and to forgive. Read...
“It’s Like Lightning in a Bottle”: Eli Gelb and Idina Menzel Geek Out Over “Stereophonic” by Idina Menzel, Interview Magazine | In many ways, it’s Gelb who makes the show—and the band—hum, bringing forth the show’s spirit of collaboration even as the bandmembers treat him as a nuisance. “In the second and third act, you’re like the heart and the glue of the entire play,” Menzel says. After seeing the show, she called up her old co-star to remind him to stop and smell the roses. Read...
After A 40-Year Broadway Career, Kecia Lewis Gets Her First Tony Nomination For “Hell’s Kitchen” by Jeryl Brunner, Forbes | In the Broadway musical “Hell’s Kitchen” Kecia Lewis plays Miss. Liza Jane, a mentor and piano teacher to 17-year-old Ali. Read...
“Merrily We Roll Along” made them old friends. Now, the cast is 'dreading' saying goodbye by Patrick Ryan, USA Today | On July 7, the cast of “Merrily We Roll Along” will take their final Broadway bow together. For the show's tight-knit central trio, the grief has already set in. Read...
“The Outsiders” Director And The Hollywood Insider by Greg Evans, Deadline | How Danya Taymor & Angelina Jolie Built A Friendship And A Hit Broadway Musical. Read...
On Broadway, “Suffs” Has a New Tune (and 6 Tony Nominations) by Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times | A reworked opening number, less historical bulk, and a general push to “have fun with these women” helped a musical find its way. Read...
In “Suffs,” Shaina Taub Fights For Women's Rights. On Broadway, She's Smashing Barriers by Curtis B. Wong, HuffPost | The New York actor and composer says she hopes the musical and its cast album energize audiences who are feeling weary amid America's political divide. Read...
“Illinoise” Director Justin Peck on Bringing Sufjan Stevens to Broadway by Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter | Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury reinterpreted Stevens' 2005 album into a Tony-nominated, dance-based musical. Read...
Bernadette Peters Will Offer London Concert This Summer by Andrew Gans, Playbill | The three-time Tony recipient will cross the pond before returning to Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's “Old Friends.” Read...
James Corden and Anna Maxwell Martin Begin Performances in “The Constituent” at London's Old Vic by Margaret Hall, Playbill | The political play is directed by Matthew Warchus. Read...
James McArdle, Bel Powley Will Lead the London Revival of “The Real Thing” by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | The Old Vic is staging the Tony-winning Tom Stoppard play with Max Webster at the helm. Read...
Patti LuPone Will Bring “A Life in Notes” to London Coliseum by Andrew Gans, Playbill | Conceived and directed by Scott Wittman, the three-time Tony winner's latest concert act features musical direction by Joseph Thalken. Read...
Full Cast Set for the National Tour of “Harry Potter And The Cursed Child” by Stephi Wild, Broadway World | Previews begin on September 10 at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre. Read...
“Cinderella,” “King James,” and more are set for Syracuse Stage 24/25 Season by Chloe Rabinowitz, Broadway World | The season will also feature “Dial M for Murder” and more. Read...
Step in the Rehearsal Room for the World Premiere of the new Jason Robert Brown Musical “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | J. Harrison Ghee, Tom Hewitt, and Sierra Boggess are leading the Rob Ashford-helmed project. Read...
Chay Yew-Directed “South Pacific” Begins at Goodspeed Musicals by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | The Pulitzer-winning Rodgers and Hammerstein musical stars Danielle Wade and Omar Lopez-Cepero. Read...
Watch Christian Borle, Krysta Rodriguez, Ephraim Sykes, and More in Highlights From the Kennedy Center's “Bye Bye Birdie.”
Free Reads of the Week
You can read entire plays for free! Free Reads titles are perfect for your theatre, school, and competition performances. Click on the image or the button below to be taken to the Play’s page; once you are there, click the "READ NOW" button and enjoy!
The Rules of Comedy by Peter Bloedel
The Story: The audience is given a side-splitting lesson in what's funny and what's not funny. In order to prove that the Rules of Comedy work, they are hilariously inserted into one of the most popular tragedies of all time: William Shakespeare's Hamlet. The Rules of Comedy is a physical comedy "blow-out" with an interesting twist that showcases the cast's ability to handle tragic drama, as well. Playing by the rules has never been so much fun.
Comedy | 35 - 55 minutes | 6 W, 6 M, 10 Any (10-48 actors possible: 0-24 W, 0-24 M) | Set: An empty stage.
June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month
#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence
by Adelaide Fisher, Eislinn Gracen, Azya Lyons, Debkanya Mitra, Olivia Ridley, Sarah Schecter and Elizabeth Shannon.
The Story: #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence calls on teens to confront gun violence by creating new works of theatre that will spark critical conversations and incite meaningful action in communities across the country.
Drama | 90 - 100 minutes | 9 W, 7 M, 6 Any (7-30 actors possible: 4-20 W, 3-16 M) | Set: Flexible
