Various events and happenings in New York make the news throughout the year. The stock market is an ongoing media obsession as are political and cultural events in the city. And while this is a standard aspect of the city’s national prominence, there is one major news-making event that occurs in June every year. This, of course, is when the Tony Award celebration takes place and the top theater practitioners across the nation are recognized and honored. People visit New York from around the world all year long and many of them take in a Broadway production while they are there.
The Tony Awards are commonly recognized as the highest achievement honor for theater practitioners. It is frequently considered to be the equivalent of the Academy Awards for the stage. The Tony Award ceremony was originally established in 1947 when the American Theatre Wing initiated the event to honor excellence in the field. The ceremony was named after the recently deceased leader of the Wing, Antoinette Perry, who was also an acclaimed producer, director and actor. The first celebration occurred at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria on April 6, 1947.
This year’s ceremony will take place on Sunday June 13 and will include performances and celebrities among the presenters. Many of the film and television actors working today had their roots in the theater and return to it from time to time. In addition, it is more common for film trained actors to explore the stage and this year’s awards see a high percentage of actors who are known for their film and television on the nomination lists. Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Liev Schreiber, Alfred Molina and Jude Law are the nominees for Leading Actor in a Play and the nominees for Best Actress in a Play are Viola Davis, Linda Lavin, Laura Linney, Jan Maxwell, Valerie Harper and Viola Davis. The New York city hotels will be full of fans and honorees during this special annual event.