2020 Tony Awards will be presented for the first time online

The Show Must Go On! And so The American Theatre Wing and Broadway League, both responsible for presenting the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre aka the Tony Awards, have announced that the 2020 Awards ceremony will go ahead online.

The Tony Awards have traditionally been presented as an annual ceremony in Midtown Manhattan. They honour excellence and achievements for Broadway productions. Before the coronavirus pandemic ushered the closure of theatres in New York City’s Broadway district, twenty plays and musicals had opened in the shortened 2019-20 season.

The 2020 revival of West Side Story and the new musical Girl From The North Country which premiered in March 2020 will not be eligible for nominations as not enough voters had the opportunity to see the productions. There had been initial debate over whether or not combining the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons in one televised ceremony, however this was quickly dismissed.

Presidents of The American Theatre Wing Heather Hitchens and Broadway League Charlotte St Martin released a joint statement;

“We are thrilled not only to have found a way to properly celebrate our artists’ incredible achievements this season, but also to be able to uplift the entire theater community and show the world what makes our Broadway family so special at this difficult time. The show must go on, no matter what — and it will.”