What categories would you like to see added to the TONYS?

I'd love a Youth Performance category, to honor the kids who might not otherwise get nominated (Sarah Charles Lewis, for instance). It would be a competitive category, but only for children.

Casting.

Obviously Sound Design needs to be back, since it recognizes the tech backstage (also can someone explain to me exactly what qualifies as sound design? I always thought it was the sound effects but now I'm hearing it's the quality of the sound, so I'm kind of confused).

-I think best prop design would be a very nice thing to have.

-I would love to see an audience choice award to show their current favorite show on Broadway, and maybe run the polls during commercials to show what the fans like (and so that they can actually show the award presentations for Best Book and other awards again).

-Best ensemble of a musical would be splendid.

The category that absolutely must be added is actually a separation of categories. It infuriates me that Best Play is actually both Best Script and Best Production. If the parts of the whole are separated for musicals they should be for plays too, and it is an insult to all playwrights that this is still the case.

Sound Design, Music Direction, and Casting.

Yeah, Best Ensemble is really necessary at this point. Not just for musicals, but also to play casts like The Humans or Eclipsed where everyone's firing on all cylinders.

Best newcomer. I'm not sure if it should be an actual category but I'd like to see some recognition for swings/understudies who are frequently used kind of like an MVP plaque. I see people like Chappelle and Harcourt (even Munoz) who step up a lot but don't get to participate in the Grammys or the White House visit. That stinks.

I like the idea of best replacement but with all the replacements, it could be a mess. Would you propose 1 general category or lead/featured distinctions?

skipgal said: "I've always wanted Best Replacement and Best Ensemble, as others have said.

Sound Design needs to come back.



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Exactly my thoughts...

ozjust4 said: "Best Replacement, Child Performer, Ensemble, and Wigs.



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The only problem I forsee in Child Performer is seasons that don't have that many children/don't have any. For instance, last year it would've been between the kids from Fun Home and the kids from Finding Neverland. In 2014 I don't think there were any productions that showcased a child in their show.

It's a nice thought to do if there are exceptional child performers one year and a diverse mix, but I wouldn't see it as being a yearly category.

ChildofEarth said: "Children have broken into the regular nominations, so I don't see why we need a designation.

Sound Design, Ensemble, and Wigs/make up are great though - why not spread the love around?



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I thought that wigs/makeup went into costumes? At least the wigs do

KCW said: "I think you're right random, it is incorporated. My hesitations about wigs is the same that others have about child actors, as some years have very limited wigs. I am afraid that productions would add these just to get more nominations."

This just goes to show how good the wigs are now. It's actually pretty rare for a female on Broadway to not wear at least one wig in a show, even if it ends up being the same hair color as the actress.

It's even rarer for the costume designer to also act as the wigs/makeup designer. Hair and makeup pretty much always have their own designer(s), and Hair/Makeup is even a separate department in the Union than Wardrobe.

How will you get Tony voters in to see every eligible replacement? I don't see any way that award could work. Getting voters to see understudies and standbys would be even more difficult, even for those shows where the understudy is announced well in advance. You'd need a professional jury for the Tonys, composed only of those who would agree to be available on all days during the year.

There used to be a Best Stage Manager Award, but I've always assumed the voting was largely sentimental. The very nature of a PSM's job is to be invisible. How would a viewer judge what a PSM had or had not done? You might as well give the award for "Show with Most Light, Set and Sound Cues"--at least those could be counted from the house. But calling the show is only one part of an SM's job (and may or may not be done by the PSM). Keeping the show on track after the Tony voters are gone is the PSM's primary job and how will you get voters back to judge that?

Though nobody has proposed it here, the same might be said for a Best General Manager award. Nobody denies the importance of a good GM, but how are the Tony voters to evaluate them?

Likewise, the point of wigs is to look like real hair. Though the wigs may be obvious in HAIRSPRAY and HAMILTON, in many of the best shows they are not.

I'd hate to see the Tonys turned into the Emmys. The latter has so many awards it takes two ceremonies to present them and, even so, nobody can keep track of anything but the most major awards.

Updated On: 5/4/16 at 09:18 PM