TV: Broadway Beat Tony Interview Special - George C. Wolfe on Why THE NORMAL HEART Touches His Heart

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The 2011 Tony Award nominees were announced live from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. The next day, proud nominees gathered at the Millenium Hotel in Times Square to celebrate and meet the press. Broadway Beat was on hand, of course, to speak with all of the proud nominees. In anticipation of Tony night on June 12, 2011, BroadwayWorld will be bringing you new clips of the stars in conversation each week so be sure to check back!

Below, we bring you George C. Wolfe, Best Director of a Play nominee for The Normal Heart. Wolfe gained national recognition with his 1991 musical Jelly's Last Jam, a musical about the life of jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton; after a Los Angeles opening, the play moved to Broadway, where it received 11 Tony nominations and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical. Two years later, Wolfe famously directed Tony Kushner's Angels in America: Millennium Approaches to great critical acclaim, as well as a Tony award. Wolfe also directed the world premiere of the second part of Angels, Perestroika, the following year. Wolfe served as artistic director and producer of the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater from 1993-2004. During his tenure, he created the musical Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, which won him a second Tony Award for direction.  Additional credits include Tony Kushner's Caroline, or Change, The Wild Party, Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning play Topdog/Underdog,and  a new translation of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Austin Pendleton.

For a complete list of the nominees, CLICK HERE!

To read the nominees first reactions to their good news, CLICK HERE!

The American Theatre Wing's 65th Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, which are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will air on CBS on Sunday, June 12th from 8:00 - 11:00 PM (ET/PT time delay).

THE 65th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS take place at the Beacon Theatre. The awards will be followed by the invite-only Tony Gala which will take place at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.