Tony Award Administration Committee Rules On BE MORE CHILL, KING KONG, KISS ME KATE, Plus New Rules for Plays!

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met today for the third time this season and confirmed the eligibility status of seven Broadway productions for the 2019 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards®. The Tony Awards Administration Committee will meet a total of four times throughout the 2018-2019 season to decide the eligibility for the 73rd Annual Tony Awards.

The productions discussed were King Kong, Choir Boy, True West, Be More Chill, Kiss Me Kate, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations and What the Constitution Means to Me.

The committee made the following determinations:

-Christiani Pitts and Eric William Morris will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actress/Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical categories for their respective performances in King Kong.

-Peter England's projection design will be considered eligible along with his scenic design in the Best Scenic Design of a Musical category, for his work on King Kong.

-Jeremy Pope will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play category for his performance in Choir Boy.

-Will Roland will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category for his performance in Be More Chill.

-Beowulf Boritt and Alex Basco Koch will be considered jointly eligible in the Best Scenic Design of a Musical category for their work on Be More Chill.

-Corbin Bleu will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical category for his performance in Kiss Me, Kate.

-Derrick Baskin will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category for his performance in Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations.

-Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini will be considered jointly eligible in the Best Scenic Design of a Musical category for their work on Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations.

-Heidi Schreck will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play category for her performance in What the Constitution Means to Me.

Additionally, the Tony Awards Administration Committee has established the following new rules, beginning with the 2018-2019 season:

The author(s) and composer(s) of plays and musicals that are determined eligible in a Best Revival of a Play or Musical categories but did not have any prior presentation in an eligible Broadway theatre, and who are living at the time the production receives the determination, will be considered eligible along with the producers of the production in the Best Revival of a Play/Musical categories.

In compliance with the new rule, the following authors will be eligible, along with the producers, in the category of "Best Revival of a Play":

-The Boys in the Band - Mart Crowley

-The Waverly Gallery - Kenneth Lonergan

The author(s) and composer(s) of plays and musicals determined eligible in a Best Revival of a Play or Musical categories, whether or not such author(s) and composer(s) have won previously, will be considered eligible along with the producers in these categories, provided, only if, in the judgment of the Tony Awards Administration Committee, the author(s) and composer(s) have substantially re-worked the play or musical.

In accordance with this new rule, the Tony Awards Administration Committee has determined that the following author will be eligible, along with the producers, in the category of "Best Revival of a Play":

-Torch Song - Harvey Fierstein

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The American Theatre Wing's 73rd Annual Tony Awards, hosted by James Corden, will air on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, June 9, 2019 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT). The Tony Awards, which honors theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been broadcast on CBS since 1978. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

The official eligibility cut-off date will be Thursday, April 25, 2019, for all Broadway productions opening in the 2018-2019 season. Productions which meet all other eligibility requirements and open on or before the eligibility date are considered eligible for 2019 Tony Award nominations.

The Nominations for the 2019 Tony Awards will be announced on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Thomas Schumacher is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is President. At the American Theatre Wing, David Henry Hwang is Chair and Heather A. Hitchens is President & CEO. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment are the Executive Producers of the 2019 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2019 Tony Awards.