Announcing the Tony Award Nominees

The 68th Annual Tony Award nominations were announced live this morning by Lucy Liu and Jonathan Groff. Leading this year is the musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder with 10 nominations followed by Hedwig and the Angry Inch with 8 nominations. Who would you like to see take home a Tony this year?

Best Play
Act One
All The Way
Casa Valentina
Mothers and Sons
Outside Mullingar

Best Musical
After Midnight
Aladdin
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Book of a Musical
Aladdin
Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Bullets Over Broadway
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater
Aladdin
The Bridges of Madison County
A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
If/Then

Best Revival of a Play
The Cripple of Inishmaan
The Glass Menagerie
A Raisin in the Sun
Twelfth Night

Best Revival of a Musical
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Les Miserables
Violet

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Samuel Barnett - Twelfth Night
Bryan Cranston - All The Way
Chris O-Dowd - Of Mice and Men
Mark Rylance - Richard III
Tony Shalhoub - Act One

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Tyne Daly - Mothers and Sons
LaTanya Richardson Jackson - A Raisin in the Sun
Cherry Jones - The Glass Menagerie
Audra McDonald - Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Estelle Parson - The Velocity of Autumn

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Neil Patrick Harris - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Ramin Karimloo - Les Miserables
Andy Karl - Rocky
Jefferson Mays - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Bryce Pinkham - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Mary Bridget Davies - A Night with Janis Joplin
Sutton Foster - Violet
Idina Menzel - If/Then
Jessie Mueller - Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Kelli O'Hara - The Bridges of Madison County

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Reed Birney - Casa Valentina
Paul Chahidi - Twelfth Night
Stephen Fry - Twelfth Night
Mark Rylance - Twelfth Night
Brian J. Smith - The Glass Menagerie

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Sarah Greene - The Cripple of Inishmaan
Celia Keenan-Bolger - The Glass Menagerie
Sophie Okonedo - A Raisin in the Sun
Anika Noni Rose - A Raisin in the Sun
Mare Winningham - Casa Valentina

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein - Cabaret
Nick Cordero - Bullets Over Broadway
Joshua Henry - Violet
James Monroe Iglehart - Aladdin
Jarrod Spector - Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Linda Emond - Cabaret
Lena Hall - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Anika Larsen - Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Adriane Lenox - After Midnight
Lauren Worsham - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Direction of a Play
Tim Carroll - Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage - The Cripple of Inishmaan
Kenny Leon - A Raisin in the Sun
John Tiffany - The Glass Menagerie

Best Direction of a Musical
Warren Carlyle - After Midnight
Michael Mayer - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Leigh Silverman - Violet
Darko Tresnjak - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Choreography
Warren Carlyle - After Midnight
Steven Hoggett & Kelly Devine - Rocky
Casey Nicholaw - Aladdin
Susan Stroman - Bullets Over Broadway

Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman - Bullets Over Broadway
Jason Robert Brown - The Bridges of Madison County
Steve Sidwell - Beautiful - The Carole King Musical
Jonathan Tunick - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Beowulf Boritt - Act One
Bob Crowley - The Glass Menagerie
Es Devlin - Machinal
Christopher Oram - The Cripple of Inishmaan

Best Scenic Design of a Musical 
Christopher Barreca - Rocky
Julian Crouch - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Alexander Dodge - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
Santo Loquasto - Bullets Over Broadway

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jane Greenwood - Act One
Michael Krass - Machinal
Rita Ryack - Casa Valentina
Jenny Tiramani - Twelfth Night

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho - A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder
William Ivey Long - Bullets Over Broadway
Arianne Phillips - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Isabel Toledo - After Midnight

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable - The Cripple of Inishmaan
Jane Cox - Machinal
Natasha Katz - The Glass Menagerie
Japhy Weideman - Of Mice and Men

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Christopher Akerlind - Rocky
Howell Binkley - After Midnight
Donald Holder - The Bridges of Madison Country

Best Sound Design of a Play
Alex Baranowski - The Cripple of Inishmaan
Steve Canyon Kennedy - Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Dan Moses Schreier - Act One
Matt Tierney - Machinal

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski - After Midnight
Tim O'Heir - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Nick Potter - Les Miserables
Brian Ronan - Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater
Jane Greenwood

Regional Theater Award
Signature Theater

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Rosie O'Donnell

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater
Joseph P. Benincasa
Joan Marcus
Charlotte Wilcox

Learn more about the Tony Award nominees at tonyawards.com!

T-10 Days Until the Tony Awards

The countdown is on! Only ten days left until the 2013 Tony Awards®. Here is our top ten list of all things Tony!

1. Check out the list of nominees and visit the Fox Cities P.A.C.  Facebook and Twitter pages and post which Tony nominated shows you want to come to the Fox Cities!

2. Watch nominee reactions, including ones from Tom Hanks and Cyndi Lauper.

3. Learn more about host Neil Patrick Harris.

4. Download your online Tony ballot from The New York Times.

5. Enter The New York Times Daily Theater Trivia Contest and the Broadway Across America Tony Award Sweepstakes for a chance to attend the 2014 Tony Awards!

6. Look through the Tony press day photo gallery.

7. Who is "Tony"? Read about the woman who inspired it all.

8. In need of a quick getaway to New York? Tickets are on sale now to this year's Tony Awards.

9. Visit Totally Tonys for fun family activities for your young theater lovers.

10. Watch the CBS promos staring Matilda, Annie, Cinderella and more!

See the Tony Awards live on Sunday, June 9 started at 7:00 p.m. on CBS. 

Prepare to be Inspired by the 2013-14 Season

Earlier this week, the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center

in Appleton, Wisconsin announced its 2013-14 Season!

KIMBERLY-CLARK BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA - FOX CITIES SERIES AND

BOLDT ARTS ALIVE! SERIES 

SEASON TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!

War Horse Tickets Are On Sale Now!

This morning, tickets for the Wisconsin premiere of War Horse June 25-30 went on sale at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton! 


As World War I begins, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped from England to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.
 
At its heart are astonishing life-sized puppets created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, that bring to life breathing, galloping, charging horses strong enough for men to ride.

In honor of today's on sale, we'd like to introduce you to the star of the show, Joey the Horse!

Joey Facts & Figures

1. The puppet (Joey), which weighs 120lbs, is handmade by 14 people. Its frame is mostly cane, soaked, bent and stained.

2. An aluminum frame along the spine, lined partly with leather for comfort, allows the horse to be ridden.

3. Stretched, hosiery-like Georgette fabric makes up the “skin” beneath the frame.

4. A puppeteer at the head controls the ears and head; one in the heart controls breathing and front legs; a third in the hind controls the tail and back legs.

5. A harness connects the puppet’s and puppeteer’s spines so his or her movements become the breathing of the horse.

6. The tail and ears are moveable instead of the lips or eyelids, because that’s how horses usually express themselves.

7. Two levers connected with bicycle brake cables control the leather ears.

8. The puppet, just under 10ft long and about 8ft tall, has about 20 major joints. Vertical levers curl the knees and lift the hooves.

9. The neck is made of carbon fiber glass for flexibility.

10. The eyes are black color behind clear resin so light refracts through them.

11. The right hind lever moves the tail up and down; the left hind lever, left to right; moved together, it spirals.

12. The hair in the mane and tail is made of Tyvek, a plastic-like paper.

Tickets for War Horse start at $55.  

 

Content Disclaimer: Although War Horse is based on a children’s book, it includes scenes depicting some war violence and is recommended for ages 10 and up. All patrons regardless of age must have a ticket.

Broadway Buzz: The Stars Align on Broadway This Fall

We tend to think of new Broadway shows in the spring during the run up to the Tony Awards, but there are exciting new performances happening right now. Star-studded casts are taking the stage in a number of shows. Read and watch the previews below, and tell us, which Hollywood star do you hope to see in the Broadway spotlight?

Dead Accounts

Opening Night: November 29, 2012

Dead Accounts led the way this fall with oodles of buzz about its leading stars: actress Katie Holmes and two-time Tony Award® winner Norbert Leo Butz. Written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Jack O’Brien, the comedic plot is said to have no shortage of curve balls (including a $27 million secret) as a self-made New Yorker returns to Cincinnati to catch up with his sister.

Watch: Jack O’Brien’s Synopsis of Dead Accounts

Golden Boy

Opening Night: December 6, 2012

Wisconsin’s own golden boy, Tony Shalhoub plays the father of a young violin prodigy and would-be boxer named Joe. Joe, played by War Horse’s Seth Numrich, takes a chance with every punch, risking his musical fingers as he searches for his ticket to success. Seventy-five years after its premiere on Broadway, Director Bartlett Sher has brought this sweeping Depression Era back to life in grand fashion.
 

Watch: Click to see a great montage of Golden Boy on Broadway.com!

Glengarry Glen Ross

Opening Night: December 8, 2012

Al Pacino takes on the role of Shelly Levine in David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross. It’s a 30th Anniversary production, but the quest for the American dream in a cutthroat real estate office rings as true as ever. With tickets in hot demand, Pacino’s star power is drawing a lot of attention, but according to Variety, the real show-stopper is actor Bobby Cannavale, most recently seen in HBO’s “Broadwalk Empire.”
 

Watch: Click for a Highlight Reel from Playbill.com!

The Other Place

Previews Begin: December 11, 2012

Opening Night: January 10, 2013

Actress Laurie Metcalf (“Roseanne,” “The Big Bang Theory”) stars as Juliana Smithton in this Broadway thriller written by Sharr White and directed by Joe Mantello (WICKED, Other Dessert Cities). Juliana’s successful life as a neurologist comes apart at the seams as the facts of her life begin to blur and the truth finally comes out.

Watch: Actress Laurie Metcalf Speaks Candidly about The Other Place

Picnic

Previews Begin: December 14

Opening Night: January 13, 2013

Roundabout Theater Company’s latest revival, Picnic, sets the stage as a group of Midwestern women prepare for a Labor Day picnic, just as a handsome young drifter becomes the center of attention. Roundabout’s Artistic Director Todd Haimes describes William Inge’s characters as living quiet lives which, “quickly move from a simmer to a boil, and all it takes is one tiny spark… to make everything explode.” Watch for reviews of this exciting revival in January 2013!

Learn More: Discover (or Rediscover) Playwright William Inge with
Roundabout Theatre Company

Savion Glover in Just Twelve Words

Tap sensation Savion Glover has perhaps the shortest bio in the industry. Here's a preview of the background information you'll find in the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center's Ovation for SoLe Sanctuary on Tuesday, October 23.

"SAVION GLOVER (hoofer, father, husband) Praise Almighty God. Please enjoy the evening."

An artist's bio is their place to say (almost) anything a they would like the audience to know about them as a person before the curtain rises. For an artist like Savion Glover, one line is all you need. The rest he'll show you onstage.

Glover's abbreviated bio is not for lack of projects, performances, accolades and stellar reviews. He's been tapping in a big way since he was a kid, christened by his teacher, the legendary Gregory Hines as, “the greatest tap dancer that ever lived.”

Glover is a Tony-winning choreographer and performer with numerous credits including the Broadway shows The Tap Dance Kid, Black and Blue, Jelly's Last Jam, and Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk. He's been in films such as "Tap" with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr and "Bamboozled" by Spike Lee. He even won an Academy Award for his choreography of Mumbles, the tapping penguin in "Happy Feet Two." He has his own production company, founded a school for tap called The Hooferz Club in New Jersey, and even if you have never seen tap live, you might recognize him from special appearances on "Sesame Street" and "Dancing with the Stars."

WATCH: Savion Glover Performs on "Dancing with the Stars"

When it comes to Savion Glover, we'll let his feet do the talking. Tickets for SoLe Sanctuary are $28 and great seats are still available for what promises to be a stellar performance. 

Broadway Buzz: What’s Not to Love About the Tony Awards?

The 2012 Tony Awards® aired nationwide last night on CBS, bringing Broadway to your living room for one night only.

To start the evening, the show opened with a special “Hello” from the cast of The Book of Mormon, which won Best Musical in 2011. Neil Patrick Harris returned as host for the third time, introducing featured performances, special star appearances and, of course, the awards for Broadway’s biggest accomplishments this season. Once walked away with eight awards including Best Musical, and Peter and the Starcatcher, a prequel to the Peter Pan story took home five awards. With all that and more, what’s not to love?

In case you missed the 2012 Tony Awards, you can...

• Watch the full broadcast for a limited time on cbs.com – all 140 minutes of Broadway’s best

• Hear the acceptance speeches on TonyAwards.com. Be sure to check out a few of our favorites – Audra McDonald (Best Actress – Musical), Steve Kazee (Best Actor – Musical) and Nina Arianda (Best Actress – Play).

• Read all about it in The New York Times at nytimes.com!

Did you tune in to the Tonys? Tell us your favorite moments and which shows you hope will head out on tour next season.

Broadway Buzz: Tune in to the Tony Awards This Sunday

This Sunday, June 10 Broadway is taking the stage in your living room for the 2012 Tony Awards®.

Neil Patrick Harris returns to host a show packed with performances. Watch for songs from Best Musical nominees like Once, Newsies, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Leap of Faith. 

Tune in to CBS at 7:00 p.m. to catch a glimpse of your favorite Broadway stars and Hollywood crossovers, and watch for new shows that may hit the road and find their way to the Fox Cities P.A.C. 

  

Which shows do you hope will win?

Broadway Buzz: What Does It Mean to be a Tony Voter?

Last week, the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center’s President Susan Stockton had a chance to chat about her role as a voting member of the Tony Awards®. It was a very busy time as she had just returned from a week in New York, attending the Broadway League Conference and squeezing in every possible Tony-nominated performance before she casts her votes. 

But just what does it mean to be a Tony voter?

Fox Cities P.A.C. President Susan Stockton

Q: How do you get to be a Tony voter?

Stockton: The criteria for who can be a Tony voter changes from time to time, but basically it’s divided into two categories: presenters and producers. Obviously, I fall into the category of presenter based on my work here at the Center. Initially, you have to be recommended by a current Tony voter and submit an extensive resume, highlighting your theater background. I first became a Tony voter during the 2004/05 Season, and now each year, I have to annually re-qualify based on the number of eligible Broadway weeks we present at the Fox Cities P.A.C.

Q: How many Tony voters are there?

Stockton: The numbers vary somewhat from year to year, but it’s generally between 750-800. This year, I think there are 830 qualified voters.

Q: How does the Tony voting process work?

Stockton: The Tony season actually runs from July through a cut-off date that’s set in April. Early in the year, qualifying Tony voters are sent a signature card to verify their authenticity against their ballot later in the year, and from there you see as many shows as possible. In the interest of keeping travel expenses in check, I try to see 5-8 shows every time I’m in New York. On my most recent trip, I saw 11 shows back to back.

From there, I go home and spend quite a lot of time considering my experience at the show and how it resonated with the audience. I review scripts and scores and other promotional materials that the producers may send. It’s much more than just seeing a show and then casting a vote. I have to consider the outstanding features and merits of each show and qualify those against the other nominees. After a lot of deliberation, I cast my vote in the mail.

One of the amazing things about the Tonys is that votes are due on Friday, June 8, leaving only two days to calculate the winners before the live show on June 10. It’s amazing how quickly the awards come together.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BALLOT FOR THE 2012 TONY AWARDS

Q. What, to you, makes a show Tony worthy?

Stockton: My votes are focused on the art form rather than an interest in the show’s success. I look for shows that are thoughtfully put together and which clearly show that the creative team invested a lot of energy in its development. I like interesting shows and productions that are relevant and compelling. For me, theater has to resonate with an audience and really engage people to earn my vote.

 

Q. Do you have any favorites this season? What is your all-time favorite Broadway show?

Stockton: I don’t have favorites, this year or thinking in terms of all-time. I think this year there are a lot of great shows and some really stunning performances. It’s an especially rich play season, and there are quite a few plays, which is terrific. But I think as theatergoers, we attach ourselves to a work at a certain point of time, and it’s powerful because it resonates to our frame of mind.

I remember one play titled Journey’s End a few years ago. It was beautifully staged and well acted, and it took place in the trenches of World War I. It resonated so well because the country was at war, and that made it especially poignant and moving. But I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite today because my frame of mind has shifted since then. It’s always a changing landscape, and I think that’s the challenge of theater – to tap into something that’s eternally relevant.

Q. How does your connection with the Tony Awards apply to your role at the Fox Cities P.A.C.?

Stockton: Being a part of the Tony Awards is important for any organization that wants to present high quality, eligible shows. First, it drives you to make sure you are seeing every show you can every year. Overtime, seeing the current shows adds to your cannon of knowledge and gives you the tools to be conversant in dialogue with producers.

It also helps me gauge a production’s quality because the touring shows, while they are not exact copies of the Broadway productions, have the same elements of design and choreography. You become familiar with the creative teams and the actors and actresses, and it’s good to be familiar with their work when they head out on tour.

All of the knowledge and involvement helps me, as a representative of the Center, as we build our Broadway seasons. It’s highly competitive, and I think it certainly gives the Center an edge to have a staff well-versed in the current theater trends on Broadway and around the country.