BWW Blog: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF's Ben Rappaport- Tony Aftermath

'Twas the night before the Tony nominations, when all through midtown

pretty much everyone was stirring. Especially that mouse (at least in pre-war buildings above restaurants).

The iphones were charging on bedside tables with care

in hopes that when the nomination list came out at 8:30, your name would be there.

Luckily for us at Fiddler On The Roof, our name WAS there with three nominations: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Danny Burstein, and Best Choreography for Hofesh Shechter. It's an incredibly satisfying feeling to have your hard work recognized by such a prestigious honor, especially in the record breaking season of the Hamil-Tony's. But I want to take a second to address the other big elephant in the room where it happened (or didn't happen). The people who weren't nominatied.

Every year, there are performances, productions, designers, etc. who are looked over for nominations. It's incredibly disappointing, as there are only so many slots for nominations. What we can easily forget is that a main purpose of these awards ceremonies (Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, etc.) is to celebrate the advancement of the art form and way of life we all cherish so dearly. With the Tony's, we have one night where the whole world is paying attention to what's going on in the American Theatre. I've talked to countless revered friends and colleagues over the years about what has inspired them to pursue this life in the theatre, and one of the most common answers is: watching the Tony performances on TV every year as a kid.

There are millions of kids across this vast country of ours who don't have the financial or geographical luxury of seeing a Broadway or Broadway caliber show. With funding for arts programming in public schools getting cut more and more, the future of our industry and fine arts in general depends greatly on these kids' exposure to what's going on in New York. More than just the marketing machine, the underlying soul of this ceremony is to promote this art form, and thus a celebration of humanity. And that is truly something to be proud of.

In terms of missing out on a nomination, I know that this doesn't make it hurt any less. Rejection is something that we show folk are far too accustomed to. If you're like me, you got into this whole thing because sports were emotionally painful as nobody wanted you on their team. The experience of being left out and everything being a competition in popularity is as American as Baseball and apple pie. What I'm excited about is that this year is being lauded as a new golden age of the theatre, putting it right back in the main zeitgeist of pop culture. This only helps those kids who were just like us, who are looking for a community that accepts and celebrates them for who they are and not how fast they can run or how hard they can throw.

Check back next Wednesday for more from BroadwayWorld's latest blogger, Ben Rappaport. Ben can currently be seen as 'Perchik' in Fiddler on the Roof, playing at the Broadway Theatre. Every week, he will answer questions from fans, so be sure to comment below, or tweet him directly at @Ben_Rappaport.

Ben was last seen on Broadway in Picnic with Ellen Burstyn, directed by Sam Gold. His Off-Broadway credits include: Sex Lives Of Our Parents (Second Stage),The Gingerbread House(Rattlestick/stageFARM). Regional: Alex Timbers' original production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Williamstown Theatre Festival). On TV, Ben is best known as the star of the NBC series "Outsourced". He currently appears as Carey Zepps on "The Good Wife"(CBS) and Ollie Parker on "Mr. Robot"(USA). He has also appeared on "Elementary"(CBS). Film credits include: Hope Springs opposite Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell. The Brass Teapot, Stereotypically You (upcoming), and lead of the upcoming film Landing Up. Ben trained at Juilliard, where he received the Michel and Suria Saint-Denis Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Drama.