Tony Awards Tickets - Awards History

Founded in 1947 by a committee of the American Theatre Wing headed by Brock Pemberton, The Tony Awards is an annual televised event in New York City that recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The award is named after the late Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing. Although gracious winners of the award now receive the famous Tony medallion, the initial prizes of the inaugural 1947 award ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel included miscellaneous items such as a scroll, cigarette lighters and articles of jewelry such as bracelets and money clips. Since 1997, the Tony Awards ceremony has been held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in June and broadcast live on CBS television, except in 1999, when it was held at the Gershwin Theatre and 2011, when the ceremony will be held at the Beacon Theatre due to Cirque Du Soleil taking over operations at Radio City at the time much to the dismay of fans.

Tony Awards Tickets -Award Criteria

Considered the Oscars for theater, Tony Awards are awarded by a panel of nearly 700 judges from the entertainment industry to honor actors, directors, designers and choreographers for excellence in the theater. To be eligible for Tony Award consideration, a production must have officially opened by the eligibility date that the Management Committee establishes each year. The show also must also have been mounted in a Broadway Theater with 500 or more seats, which consists primarily of the 40 theaters located in the vicinity of Times Square in New York City and Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

Tony Awards Tickets -Ceremony

The spectacle of the Tony awards are just as dazzling as the night's winners. Annually televised on CNN, the syndicated event features live performances of the songs of the nominated musicals as well as presentations or video clips of the nominated plays. Often hosted by a star of both the film and theater world such as Hugh Jackson or Neil Patrick Harris, The Tony Awards are always a magical night for both the viewers and the performers. Fans everywhere fight to get Tony Awards tickets to the limited seating section often available to the public for this annual, star-studded event.