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Tony Awards

The Tony Awards 2023 guide

Broadway has its eyes on the 2023 Tony Awards, wondering which musicals, plays and revivals will win

Adam Feldman
Written by
Adam Feldman
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The biggest story at the Tony Awards every year is the race to be crowned the season's best Broadway musical. But that's just one of the prizes up for grabs at the Tony Awards, which honor Broadway shows for outstanding acting, writing, direction and design. Which productions from the 2022–2023 season will follow in the footsteps of recent winners like Hamilton, Hadestown and Moulin Rouge!? With our guide to Tony Awards, you can revisit stellar moments from the history of the Tonys, find our coverage of this year's races and get prepped to watch the 2023 Tony Awards broadcast.

What are the Tony Awards?

The Tony Awards, a.k.a. the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, recognize achievement in Broadway theater. Only plays and musicals produced in one of the 41 officially recognized Broadway venues are eligible for Tony Awards. The awards are co-presented by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League in New York City. 

When are the 2023 Tony Awards?

The 76th Annual Tony Awards will be given out on Sunday, June 11, 2023.

What period of time is covered by the 2023 Tony Awards?

The Tony Award season runs from early May to late April. The cut-off date for Tony eligibility this year is April 27, 2023. 

Where is the 2023 Tony Awards ceremony being held?

After spending most of the 21st century so far at Radio City Music Hall, the Tony Awards are heading uptown this year: to the historic, 3,400-seat United Palace in Washington Heights.  

How will the Tony Awards be broadcast in 2023?

The main three-hour portion of the Tonys ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS starting at 8pm ET on June 11, 2023. The event can also be watched live throughout the country by premium subscribers to the streaming service Paramount+ (so, for example, it will begin at 5pm on the West Coast). An earlier 90-minute portion of the ceremony called The Tony Awards: Act One—including the design awards and several other categories—will be streamed live throughout the country in the "Pluto TV Celebrity" section of the free streaming service Pluto TV starting at 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT. 

How will the Tony Awards telecast be different this year?

Because of an ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America, the Tony telecast will not contain prewritten content as has been true in past years. The WGA has graciously agreed not to picket the telecast, which means that the show can go on as scheduled. But it is still unclear exactly what will be allowed to be included in the telecast and what will not.  

When are the 2023 Tony nominations announced?

A handful of nominations will be announced on Tuesday, May 2, on CBS This Morning at 8:30am ET; the complete Tonys list will be announced at 9am ET, on the Tony Awards YouTube channel. A full list of the 2023 nominations will be posted on the Tony Awards website immediately thereafter.

Who hosts the Tony Awards?

The Tony Awards usually have a different host every year, though some popular performers (including Angela Lansbury, Hugh Jackman, Neil Patrick Harris and James Corden) have hosted multiple times. This year's edition will be hosted by Ariana DeBose, who also hosted the 2022 ceremony.

Who will perform on the Tony Awards?

The Tony Awards telecast on CBS usually features live performances by all of the nominees for Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical, as well as other musical numbers at the discretion of the producers. This year, the latter category will include selections from the Broadway productions Funny Girl and A Beautiful Noise, tributes to lifetime achievement honorees Joel Grey and John Kander, and a performance by last year's Best Actress in a Musical winner, Joaquina Kalukango.

How do I get tickets to see the Tony Awards live?

If sales are handled as in past year, then a limited number of tickets to the 76th Annual Tony Awards, which tend to cost $500 or more, will go on sale to the general public in May.

What categories are in the Tony Awards?

Tony Awards traditionally go to winners in 26 categories: Best Play, Best Musical, Best Revival of a Play, Best Revival of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre, Best Director of a Play, Best Director of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical. A number of Special Tony Awards may also be awarded each year. 

Who is receiving Special Tony Awards at the 2023 Tony Awards?

Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement will be bestowed on the actor Joel Grey and the composer John Kander. The Isabella Stevenson Award will go to the choreographer-dirctor and Broadway Bares founder Jerry Mitchell. The Regional Theatre Tony Award will go to the Pasadena Playhouse. Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will go to production stage manager Lisa Dawn Cave, Theatre Development Fund executive director Victoria Bailey and theatrical accountant Robert Fried.

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