65th Annual Tony Awards Broadcast Honored with Fourth Emmy Award

The June 2012 broadcast of the 65th Annual Tony Awards was honored last night with a fourth Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. The award was accepted by Glenn Weiss, who had previously won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 2003 for the 56th Annual Tony Awards. The 2012 Tony Awards Telecast was also honored with three Emmy Awards, which were presented at the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony last week:

Outstanding Special Class Programs – Ricky Kirshner, Executive Producer, Glenn Weiss Executive Producer and Neil Patrick Harris, Host/Producer

Outstanding Art Direction For Variety Or Nonfiction Programming - Steve Bass, Production Designer, Seth Easter, Art Director

Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics: “It's Not Just For Gays Anymore” – Music By Adam Schlesinger, Lyrics by David Javerbaum

The telecast was also nominated in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special (Dave Boone).

“It’s really gratifying to be recognized like this for a project that I am so passionate about. I love working with the Broadway theatre community, I love Broadway theatre, and it’s so great to put the best of it on national television once a year. I want to thank my partner, Ricky Kirshner, White Cherry Entertainment, and our entire production team,” said Glenn Weiss, last night, during his acceptance speech.

“We are so proud of the entire team at White Cherry Entertainment for bringing home four Emmy Awards this year” said Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League. “Glenn Weiss, Ricky Kirshner and their team work tirelessly year after year to bring Broadway to a national audience, and we are honored that their work has been recognized by the Emmy Awards,” said Heather Hitchens Executive Director of the American Theatre Wing.

Kirshner and Weiss previously won the Emmy Award in the Outstanding Special Class Programs Category in 2011 for the 64th Annual Tony Awards, 2010 for the 63rd Annual Tony Awards, 2008 for the 61st Annual Tony Awards and 2007 for the 60th Annual Tony Awards. They won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special in 2005 for the 58th Annual Tony Awards. Weiss was also the recipient of the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 2003 for the 56th Annual Tony Awards. Kirshner and Weiss have acted as executive producers of the Tony Awards telecast for the past seven years. Dave Boone was honored with an Emmy in 2011 and 2010 in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special for the 63rd and 62nd Annual Tony Awards.

The Antoinette Perry “Tony” Award, which was founded by the American Theatre Wing in 1947, is bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast – the night America watches Broadway – is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.

Visit TonyAwards.com for more information. For up-to-the-minute news follow The Tony Awards on Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards or Twitter.com/TheTonyAwards.

The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Nick Scandalios is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is Executive Director. At the American Theatre Wing, William Ivey Long is Chairman and Heather Hitchens is Executive Director. For Tony AwaRD Productions, Alan Wasser and Allan Williams of Alan Wasser Associates are the General Managers. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment were the Executive Producers of the 2012 Tony Awards. Kirshner and Weiss have acted as executive producers of the Tony Awards telecast since 2004.

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