The Tony Awards, upended and long delayed by the COVID pandemic, and after periods of silence about award recipients (and just when the awards would be distributed), has finally announced initial winners, in the special awards category.
As previously announced, the Tony Awards ceremony honoring the 2019-2020 season will be held on Sunday, September 26 as a two-part event airing across different CBS platforms. A presentation of awards will air at 7 PM ET on CBS, and on Paramount+ (the ViacomCBS subscription streaming service) at 9 PM ET, CBS will air a special entitled “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!†featuring performances from the Tony-nominated Best Musicals and a live presentation of the Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Revival of a Play and Best Musical.
Special Tony Awards will be presented to the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, American Utopia and Freestyle Love Supreme. These Special Tony Awards are given to “outstanding productions, artists, and organizations that do not fall into any of the competitive categories.â€
Founded in 2016, non-profit advocacy organization Broadway Advocacy Coalition has worked to create a more equitable environment in the industry. The group, founded by Jackie Bell, Amber Iman, Cameron J Ross, Britton Smith, Adrienne Warren and Christian Dante White, recently announced a new program to help cast members and productions address equity and safety concerns before reopening.
Improv musical and hip-hop show Freestyle Love Supreme and American Utopia, which features David Byrne and 11 musicians, both held Broadway runs in the 2019-2020 season and are planning to return this fall.
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