Question: Are ensemble members TECHNICALLY eligible for featured Tonys?

Would Jayne Houdyshell getting a nomination for FOLLIES in 2011/2 be another example?

jacobsnchz14 said: "Would Jayne Houdyshell getting a nomination for FOLLIES in 2011/2 be another example?"

 

She had an entire number to herself, and it was among the more famous songs in the show. So no, I wouldn't consider that role the ensemble in the sense that I'm asking about. 

 

Thanks SeanD! Interesting and good to know! If that's the case, then I think I would agree that a Chorus Tony wouldn't make sense. 

Updated On: 5/2/18 at 02:20 PM

It wouldn't be to a production's best interest to have this happen. It would place individual focus where there was no investment.  

I don't know if anyone remembers the Jason Antoon controversy during Contact. He was 'technically' an ensemble member, but the tiny roles he played (and I mean tiny) earned him a Drama desk nomination for Best supporting actor in a musical. The buzz around his performance was such, that the Contact producers petitioned for Boyd Gaines and Karen Ziemba (gossip says at his request, as to not have Antoon be nominated and win) to be considered for Featured Actor / Actress in a musical at the 2000 Tonys. Gaines, who was nominated for leading man elsewhere (who he was), ended up winning the best featured actor Tony (which, to be honest, he was not - Antoon deserved the nomination, although he would never have won against the cast of Kiss Me, Kate). 

So, this idea would only benefit the performer. The rest of the production, not so much. 

The only recent show I can think of that this might have applied to is AFTER MIDNIGHT

Yes they are technically eligible, its just producers rarely push/campaign for them to be nominated.

A recent example of producers attempting to/campaigning for ensemble members for be consider for a Tony was Shrek. After the shows initial consideration, producers pushed for the shows 3 triplets; 3 Blind Mice for Featured Actress, 3 Little Pigs for Featured Actor, and 3 Bears fora Special Tony for Excellence in Theater. This is due to the weird rule that allows 3 actors to share a role and still be considered eligible for a Tony that allowed the 3 Billies to be nominated and win that same season. 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/SHREK-To-Petition-Tonys-for-Special-Eligibility-Seeks-Threesomes-Category-20090401

Most producers though would rather focus their campaigns on their actual featured performers who have a better chance to win. Add to that during the development of a new musical if there is a standout cast member who is originally a part of the ensemble, the creators may build a supporting role around that ensemble member. An example of this is would be Rory O'Malley who was originally on an ensemble contract during the The Book of Mormon's labs and workshops, but Parker, Stone, and Lopez were enjoying his ensemble bits so much that they created the role Elder McKinley just for him, which landed him a Tony nomination. 

Yeah, that Shrek thing is weird.

I would argue that if the "ensemble" is no so much a group of people who play multiple featured roles (i.e. The Producers) but is more of a "chorus" (i.e. 42nd Street), if you are standing out, you are doing something wrong. In a "chorus," no one should stand out. Maybe a chorus member is particularly attractive, or has particularly good dance technique, but if an audience member is focusing on Chorus Girl #6 and not on the main story, that's artistically a problem, IMO.

Because "ensemble" can mean both the entire cast (especially if all the parts are generally of equal size) or the chorus, the proposed naming of these new Tony categories are confusing. I believe Equity is proposing a Best Ensemble award for the entire cast (they have this category in the Jeff Awards in Chicago as well), as well as a Best Chorus award for, well, the chorus. Because so many people use the words "ensemble" and "chorus" interchangeably, they should just name the award Best Cast.

Or actually, not. We don't need more acting Tony Awards. Eight is enough. The Tonys should try to keep what little prestige they have left and not have 25 winners in a single category.