Tony Awards Broadcast Delayed (by one day) to Monday, June 8

New York, NY (April 1, 2009) - The American Theatre Wing's 63rd Annual Antoinette Perry 'Tony' ® Awards, originally schedule to be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7, will now be presented Monday, June 8, 2009 (8:00-11:00 p.m., live EST) on the CBS Television Network. The cut-off for nomination eligibility on the 2008-2009 Broadway Season will remain on April 30, 2009.

In a statement, Howard Sherman, executive director of the American Theatre Wing, writes,

"In breaking awards ceremony tradition, the American Theatre Wing has decided to postpone its broadcast to Monday, June 8. The move is intended to allow productions to keep their Sunday evening performance schedule - a highly-attended performance time which generates much-needed revenue in these poor economic times.

We have spoken with several show producers and across the board, it was agreed that this move would be the best compromise. As a result of the move, the performance schedule for that week will be altered to accommodate for the Equity day of rest, which most theatres will move to Tuesday."

Individual productions are expected to announce their revised performance schedules in the coming weeks. It is anticipated that many shows will alter their schedules for the entire summer months.

Glenn Weiss, veteran director of the Tony Awards who will repeat his duties in 2009, states,

"The move of the ceremony to Monday is actually a blessing in disguise. In years past, performers would have a hectic schedule. They would get to Radio City very early in the morning for rehearsal, bus over to their theatre for their Sunday matinee performance, catch dinner and then bus back over to Radio City for the Tony broadcast. Mondays are usually shows' dark days, so allowing shows to commit to their productions on Sunday will certainly make all of us very happy. The extra time we will receive on Monday, while not crucial, will certainly be highly beneficial. Certainly, the actors will be more relaxed."

The Antoinette Perry ?Tony? Awards are bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.

The 2009 Tonys are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Nina Lannan is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is Executive Director. At the American Theatre Wing, Theodore S. Chapin is Chairman and Howard Sherman is Executive Director. For Tony Award Productions, Elizabeth I. McCann is Managing Producer and Joey Parnes is Coordinating Producer.

Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss/White Cherry Entertainment are Executive Producers of the 2009 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2009 Tony Awards.

The official Tony Awards web site, www.TonyAwards.com, is developed, designed, and hosted by IBM, an official partner of the Tonys. News and feature content is provided in cooperation with Playbill.com.

Official partners of the Tony Awards include: Visa, the exclusive card accepted at the Tonys; Hilton Hotels, the official hotel partner of the Tonys; and IBM, which develops, designs, and hosts TonyAwards.com. Continental Airlines and Sprint are official supporters of the Tonys Awards. Promotional and media partners for the 2008 Tony Awards include Macy's, Playbill, USA Today, MyBroadway.com, and Van Wagner.

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Updated On: 4/1/09 at 02:06 PM

The subject title of this thread is confusing. It makes it sound like the actual awards show is going to still be presented on Sunday, June 7th, and then the taping is going to be "broadcasted" the next day on June 8th.

But as long as it will be LIVE on Monday, June 8th, thats all I care about.

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This almost had me.

(in best Jenna Russell voice)

I feel foolish!

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Day of Rest is an Equity rule:

18. DAYLIGHT DAY OF REST, FULL DAY OFF AND REST PERIODS.
(A) There shall be a minimum of one scheduled Daylight Day of Rest in every week in addition to the regular periods of rest allowed herein during rehearsal and at the close of each working day. During such rest periods, the Actor shall not be required to perform, rehearse, or in any other manner be at the disposal of the Producer. However, during the rehearsal period prior to the first public performance, the Actor may travel to the theatre location on such designated Daylight Day of Rest.
(1) Definitions. A Daylight Day of Rest means from the end of work on any one day
until 7:00 PM of the following day. A Full Day Off, applicable only where specified,
means 24 consecutive hours in addition to the normal rest period required after a day of rehearsal and/or performance.
(2) During Rehearsals. Prior to the first paid public performance the Actor shall be
entitled to one Full Day Off with salary in each seven days of rehearsal, except for the last seven days immediately prior to said first paid public performance of the production when a Daylight Day of Rest will be permitted.
(3) If the rehearsal period is more than seven days but no more than ten days, only a Daylight Day of Rest shall be required during such rehearsal period.


(4) During Performance Weeks. Where a production runs for two weeks or more at a
single theatre, there shall be one Full Day Off in each week except for the opening
week, during which the 7:00 PM Daylight Day of Rest Rule shall apply.
(B) The scheduled Daylight Day of Rest shall be posted on the Callboard of the theatre. There shall be one week's notice of any change in the scheduled Daylight Day of Rest. The scheduled Daylight Day of Rest may be changed only twice during any season.
(C) There shall be an 11-hour rest period between the end of employment on one day and the beginning of employment on the next day. There shall be no rehearsals except for subsequent productions or in an emergency (e.g., understudy put-in) on the day following a Full Day Off. (See Rule 46(E), REHEARSALS.)
(D) In no case shall employment begin with a Day Off. (For breaks and rest periods during rehearsals or performances, see Rule 46 REHEARSALS or Rule 39,PERFORMANCES).

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What I want to know is how does this affect ratings of the Tonys, as well as its advertising revenue?

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Will the tonys be broadcast in ireland

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Capn, when you said the day of rest, initially, I thought you meant a required day of rest after the Tony Awards ceremony. I was confused, because I knew of shows that had Monday performances the day following the Tonys in the past.

I had never heard of this real day of rest, either. Thanks for the info.

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