WATCH NOW! Zooming in on the Tony Nominees: Ayad Akhtar

The Tony Awards are like Christmas in June for theatre lovers, and that makes this year's nominees the reason for the season. 2017-18 was a year or variety, as audiences cheered on Mean Girls, tall women, and fair ladies alike. Our travel destinations ranged from Bet Hatikva to Bikini Bottom; Arendelle to the Antilles. We've contemplated redemption with Billy, pondered pipe dreams with Hickey, and reexamined the past with Harry- all from the the comfort of a seat on the aisle.

This year's Tony nominees transported us with the magic of theatre, and we're saluting their work by taking a closer look at their extraordinary accomplishments. Today we're studying up on Ayad Akhtar!

Quick Facts About Ayad:

His Nomination: Best Play

Up Against: The Children (Author: Lucy Kirkwood), Farinelli and The King (Author: Claire van Kampen), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two (Author: Jack Thorne), Latin History for Morons (Author: John Leguizamo)

Did You Know?: Ayad was also nominated in 2015 for his play, Disgraced.

Photos by Walter McBride

Ayad on his first Broadway show: "[It was] Mary Stuart, The Donmar Warehouse production and it inspired me to want to write a play of classical scale for Broadway, which is what Junk was. It was a direct line between that first experience on Broadway and Junk. That's what started me realizing, 'Wow, there's an appetite for a smart, big play about language on Broadway."

watch as Ayad tells us all about want this nomination means to him, how he's preparing for the Tonys, and so much more!