Tonys Committee to Review Decision to Erase Sound Design Awards

As previously reported, the Tony Awards Administration Committee determined that Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical Categories would be eliminated from the established list of competitive categories, beginning with the 2014-2015 season.

Broadway sound designers and others just submitted a petition with 32,495 signatures asking the Tonys committee to reverse its decision at its meeting today, November 13.

Now, The New York Times reports that the administration committee, though it is sticking to its "carefully studied decision" for the current 2014-15 season, has asked the rules committee to review the petition.

Among the petition's signees are actor Hugh Jackman, composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Diane Paulus and composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

The committee has released no official comment on its decision to erase the two categories but previously justified the choice by saying not many of the 800 Tony votes knew "what sound design is or how to judge it," and as a result, often skip voting for sound design at all. Furthermore, some committee members think sound design is "more of a technical craft than a theatrical art form."

In its big announcement today, the Tonys committee made rulings on seven shows, including ON THE TOWN, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, IT'S ONLY A PLAY and more.