WATCH NOW! Zooming in on the Tony Nominees: Tina Landau

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 Tina Landau!

Quick Facts About Tina:

Her Nomination: Best Direction of a Musical

Up Against: Michael Arden (Once On This Island), David Cromer (The Band's Visit), Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls), Bartlett Sher (My Fair Lady)

Did You Know?: Tina is one of a whopping twelve nominees from SpongeBob SquarePants.

Photos by Walter McBride

Tina on her first Broadway show: "The original productions of A Chorus Line and Dreamgirls were like... IT. I mean, I remember sitting in Dreamgirls with tears rolling down my face. And it was the same with A Chorus Line. To this day I consider those, from a directing point of view and a staging point of view, two of my greatest inspirations and models."

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