Friday 5: 5 Tony Categories We Wish Existed But Don't (So Far)

5 Tony Categories We Wish Existed

But Don't (So Far)

Tony Awards categories come and go over the years. Remember the Special Event Tony Award? At one time, there was an award for Best Conductor, too. And every year we hear for calls for Best Replacement Awards - a logistical nightmare if there ever was one, if you ask us. Still, there are some folks that work really hard and go unnoticed season after season. Here are 5 categories we'd love The American Theatre Wing to consider:

Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast - Play and Musical - What about shows where the entire production rests on the overall cast for its success? Shows where individuals may shine for a moment, but really every person makes the magic happen. Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Titanique, Marjorie Prime, The Balusters all come to mind this season. How about modern classics like Titanic, Come From Away or Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812? Or true classics like Our Town? That kind of cohesiveness deserves to be rewarded!

  

Best Performance by a Traditional Ensemble - Play and Musical - When Broadway shows have star vehicles, even the stars often talk about their cast mates and how much they are a part of their performance and the overall affect of the whole production. Think about classics like Hello, Dolly! or Fiddler on the Roof, and how lacking "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" or "Tradition" would be without a robust ensemble backing things up! I can't imagine Schmigadoon! without theirs. The same applies to some plays as well - Leopoldstadt, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have leading performances, sure, but they'd fall apart without their amazing ensembles.

  

Best New Song Written for the Theatre - The Oscars do it with awards for score and song, so why not the Tonys? Some of Broadway's most iconic songs could be recognized, whether the whole score is or not. Think about the 1976 awards. A Chorus Line won Best Score, and any number of songs from that score - "One," "The Music and the Mirror," "Nothing" all come immediately to mind. But what about Chicago? So the score didn't win, but what about "All That Jazz" or "Nowadays"?

  

Best Video &/or Projection Design - Play and Musical - For years, the Tony Awards has had their collective heads in the sand about the technological advances in and the impact of projections and video designs incorporated in many plays and musicals. You can tell that they don't know what to do with it. Sometimes, they get paired with the lighting design, other times with scenic design. They need to be recognized as their own design element. Take design group 59 for example. Last year, their projection design won a Tony Award for scenic design of Stranger Things; this year their projections for Ragtime are nominated for lighting design!

Best Musical Direction - One of the least understood jobs on the creative team, the musical director is the key bridge between the composer-lyricist and opening night. Here is an interesting article from Playbill about the job straight from an actual musical director. Can you imagine any musical without them? One way to figure out what they do is listen to the difference between an original production and a revival - like Cats vs Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Or consider the striking overall soundscape of The Lost Boys. Just considering how integral they are from workshop to closing night, it is a shame they don't get their own recognition.