Tonys Committee Will Allow Producers to Send Wider Range of Swag to Voters

The New York Times writes that the Tony Awards committee voted today to allow Broadway producers to send a larger variety of promotional items to Tony nominators and voters.

Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, executive director of the American Theater Wing, released the following statement: "The current rules for what may or may not be distributed have been suspended for one year. It is the feeling of the committee that the producers have been acting responsibly and that they will continue to do so without such restrictive language. It is felt that the voters also act responsibly and that such things as souvenirs, edited reviews and small gifts, etc. have no bearing on the voters' selections."

Prior to this new development, producers could only send scripts, souvenir booklets, non-exclusive audio or video recordings from their show, as well as some reviews and quotes about their production.

The Times notes, however, that "any excessive gifts or promotions could risk another rules change next year".

The committee also announced changes in the rules for revival authors and eliminated two creative categories for the 2014-15 season. Read all about their decisions here!

The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Nick Scandalios is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is Executive Director. At the American Theatre Wing, William Ivey Long is Chairman and Heather Hitchens is Executive Director. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment are the Executive Producers of the 2014 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2014 Tony Awards.