Award Season

by Christa Tandana

Every spring many organizations honor specific shows with awards.

You may have heard of THE TONY AWARDS, an annual awards ceremony for the best of Broadway’s current season, presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League. Awards include Best Play, Best Musical, Best Performance, Best Lighting Design and many more.

Other awards include the Drama Desk Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, Drama League Awards, Equity Awards, Obie Awards and more. Some are specifically for Broadway productions, some just for Off-Broadway, and some for both.

So, why would anyone want to win a TONY or other award? Well, just like a movie gains popularity for winning awards, so does a play or musical. Even receiving a nomination gives a show publicity as well as public recognition from people outside of the world of theatre. For example, In the Heights, set in Washington Heights with a largely Hispanic cast, won four TONY AWARDS (including Best Musical) as well as receiving nine other nominations. People who previously were not interested in the show all of a sudden realized that this wasn’t a show to miss!

What shows do YOU think should win awards? Let us know in the comments!