TONY AWARDS Broadcast Live on CBS Tonight, 6/10

THE 66TH ANNUAL TONY(R) AWARDS will be broadcast live from the Beacon Theatre in New York City, tonight, June 10, 2012 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The awards show, which honors theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been a part of the CBS family since 1978. This will be the second year that the show will be broadcast live from the Beacon Theatre.

Next year marks the 66th anniversary of the TONY Awards, which were first held on April 6, 1947 at the Waldorf Astoria's Grand Ballroom. The ceremonies are presented by TONY AwaRD Productions, which is a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, which founded the Tonys in 1947.

The Tonys were founded in memorial to Antoinette ("Tony") Perry, the American Theatre Wing's World War II chairperson. The winners are selected by the governing board of Actors Equity, the Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the United Scenic Artists, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, the Casting Society of America, the New York Drama Critics Circle, the American Theatre Wing and members of the Broadway League.

THE 64th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS received two Primetime Emmy(R) Awards: Outstanding Special Class Programs and Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special.

Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producers. Also, Weiss will serve as director for the 13th consecutive year.