When will the Tony Awards be presented?

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 12/6/20 at 8:22pm

Considering we don't have much time left in 2020, one would think there'd at least have been a date announced by now.

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/6/20 at 9:06pm

They originally said December but now they are saying "Winter 2020" so technically they have until March. Sigh. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/6/20 at 9:07pm

this has been discussed a number of times. Yes, there should have been some sort of announcement, but unfortunately the person in charge is beyond incompetent. Sad but true, and in many ways more than this. The ceremony will be held in 2021, not 2020. The original notion (based on the same incompetence) was that Broadway would be back sooner rather than later. When the incompetent learned that Broadway would not be back until (essentially) the fall, it no longer made sense to market the brand in late 2020. (Not all agree with this but that is the consensus, especially from those writing checks.) So there is no announcement of any kind, but what I am hearing from more than one person is that it may well take place in the normal slot in 2021, celebrating what's let of the 2019-20 season (since there will be no 2020-21 season at all). This would set things up in the conventional way for Fall marketing. (Now of course not everyone, including me, thinks that all of these shows to be marketed will be back in 2021 at all.) Patience.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/6/20 at 9:41pm

Since the Oscars announced their full intention to have an In-Person ceremony in Los Angeles, I'm curious if they're going to try to wait as long as possible to do the same thing for these and showcase not just the nominated shows but use it as a real commercial for everything Broadway will have to offer when it reopens. I think that would be the best thing actually (as long as Paul Hilton still wins). 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/6/20 at 9:45pm

Seems plausible that they’ll still have it in June, as hogan said. What seems shítty is that they had the audacity to announce the nominees and leaving them in the dust without a single word. At least The Academy made an announcement of some sort before any nominees were announced, but when it comes to The League, why the silence?

Edited: thanks for the clarification Hogan. 

Updated On: 12/6/20 at 09:45 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/6/20 at 9:52pm

it's the League not the Wing. The Wing is just along for the ride as Tony's beard, so to speak. The sound of silence is incompetence at the League.

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 12/7/20 at 12:02pm

They have entirely botched any and all momentum/buzz for this ceremony by releasing the nominations and then going radio silent. There's no media coverage. The nominees aren't doing interviews or campaigning without any notion of a date. People are already forgetting who is nominated. Are they really going to ask voters to vote for things they saw 2 years ago? How will anyone truly remember the nuances of the nominated scores from plays? Or the composition of the sound design? Or the way the lighting came together to create a beautiful stage picture? 

If they really are going to wait until June, they will need a major shot in the arm of advertising and hype. Maybe they can re-air the nomination announcements? I don't know. I have no idea what would ramp buzz back up for this. But incompetence does indeed seem like the correct word here.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/7/20 at 12:20pm

Considering the nominations seemed to land with a dull thud, I’m not surprised.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/7/20 at 12:41pm

I think it is worth remembering that the circle of people who pay attention to the nominations under the best of circumstances does not really extend very far beyond this board. So only we are waiting with baited breath. 

There was a school of thought among some producers that the awards in 2020 would be a valuable brand reinforcement. Others wanted tickets to sell before they wrote checks. Obviously, the latter won out (whether intentionally or due to incompetence). 

[Kad]

Posted: 12/7/20 at 12:56pm

HogansHero said: "I think it is worth remembering that the circle of people who pay attention to the nominations under the best of circumstances does not really extend very far beyond this board. So only we are waiting with baited breath.)"

I've noticed a distinct disinterest in these awards from the rank and file of the industry. And, honestly, why would anyone be interested right now?

Updated On: 12/7/20 at 12:56 PM

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 12/7/20 at 2:47pm

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "They have entirely botched any and all momentum/buzz for this ceremony by releasing the nominations and then going radio silent. There's no media coverage. The nominees aren't doing interviews or campaigning without any notion of a date. People are already forgetting who is nominated. Are they really going to ask voters to vote for things they saw 2 years ago? How will anyone trulyremember the nuances of the nominated scores from plays? Or the composition of the sound design? Or the way the lighting came together to create a beautiful stage picture?

If they really are going to wait until June, they will need a major shot in the arm of advertising and hype. Maybe they can re-air the nomination announcements? I don't know. I have no idea what would ramp buzz back up for this. But incompetence does indeed seem like the correct word here."

That's not entirely true - some shows are sending out swag, both virtual and physical, to promote their nominees. But most are staying quiet. I suspect that the voters will be reminded of all of the nominees and their work like they are every other season. This time there will just be more distance between when a voter saw the show and when they voted. Every season there are shows that voters saw a year ago they have to remember, this year it will just be two years back they'll have to remember. Not ideal, but I don't think it's too much to ask of them.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/7/20 at 4:44pm

Just spit-balling here, but is there any scenario in which the Tony Voters cast their votes right around now, but they hold off on announcing the awards until further notice? That would prevent the voters from having to remember shows they saw 2 years prior. It would be a kind of out-of-the-box solution, certainly unprecedented, but when you think about it, there's no real reason the voters should have to vote right before the ceremony. So that way, they could hold off on presenting the awards until the right time (whatever that means to them) without having to worry about that time pressure. 

Updated On: 12/7/20 at 04:44 PM

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 12/8/20 at 12:00pm

Anything seems fair game now, so I could see them having an early voting period long before the ceremony. But they would have to announce it far in advance rather than springing it on voters. I know for a fact that many nominee's teams are in a wait and see mode and haven't started much of a campaign yet. Because they are waiting on dates. Slave Play and A Soldier's Play have been the most active (there's interviews out with Ato Blankson-Wood, Lindsay Jones, Blair Underwood), Roundabout's recent Kenny Leon announcement was intended to be timed during the new "Tony season," and I know some virtual stuff has gone out. Interesting @itsjustme that you mention physical swag has gone out, I dont know of folks who have gotten physical stuff yet, at least they haven't shared that with me.

I just really hope they announce SOME kind of plan before Christmas. 

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 12/9/20 at 7:19pm

The league ain’t going to announce the winners until after the election college certificates the winner of the election. Just prevents rigged fraudulent votes, especially the ones that are mailed in.