The Tony Awards are on Sunday night. If you’re new to this season, or to theater, here are some things you might want to know.
What are the Tony Awards?
The Tony Awards, presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, is an annual ceremony honoring plays and musicals staged on Broadway. And Broadway, in industry parlance, refers to 41 theaters in and around Times Square, each of which must have at least 500 seats. There are awards in 26 competitive categories, plus a few noncompetitive prizes like lifetime achievement.
The main event is on Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. Eastern, broadcast on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime. Cynthia Erivo is hosting at Radio City Music Hall.
Many of the awards for creative teams will be given out at a preshow that starts at 6:40 p.m.; it is streaming on Pluto TV and hosted by Darren Criss and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
Here’s more on what to expect, including a 10th anniversary “Hamilton” performance:
How is Broadway doing?
It’s a mixed picture. The 2024-25 season that just ended was the highest grossing in history, and it was the first since the coronavirus pandemic to outgross the prepandemic peak of 2018-19, although those figures are not inflation-adjusted.
