Columbia Theatre Artists Sweep 2024 Tony Awards

The results of the 2024 Tony Awards have been announced, and several projects involving the work of Columbia theatre artists are among the winners.

Stereophonic, whose production team includes Ashley Melone '14, Alex Donnelly (CC’14), and Sean Walsh (CC’14), swept the awards with five Tony wins. The production took home the honors for Best Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play for David Zinn, Best Sound Design of a Play for Ryan Rumery, Best Direction of a Play for Daniel Aukin, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for Will Brill. 

Appropriate, co-produced by 2022 Front Row Productions Fellow Lamar Richardson (CC '15), also took home multiple awards, including Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for Sarah Paulson, and Best Lighting Design of a Play for Jane Cox. 

Merrily We Roll Along, also co-produced by Richardson, Thomas Swayne ’20, and David Manella '18—who graduated from the joint JD/MFA in Theatre Management and Producing Program—was honored with the award for Best Revival of a Musical, making Richardson the youngest Black producer to win two Tony awards in one night. Merrily also took home three other major awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Jonathan Groff, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for Daniel Radcliffe, and Best Orchestrations for the work of Jonathan Tunick.

The musical Suffs, lead produced by Adjunct Assistant Professor and Prince Fellowship alumna Rachel Sussman, and partly developed during Sussman's time in the Prince Fellowship at the School of the Arts, won Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, both for the work of Shaina Taub. Suffs was also produced by Professor of International and Public Affairs Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jill Furman (BUS '97).

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a play written by Playwriting alumna Jocelyn Bioh ’08, was awarded Best Costume Design of a Play for the work of Dede Ayite. 

Hell’s Kitchen—which features Brandon Victor Dixon (CC ’07) in a featured role and the orchestrations of Tom Kitt (CC '99)—won Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Maleah Joi Moon, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for Kecia Lewis.

Enemy of the People, also co-produced by Manella, took home an award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a play for Jeremy Strong. 

Read through the complete list of this year’s winners here.

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Original: May 3, 2024

The Tony Award Nominations were announced Tuesday, April 30 on CBS. Unsurprisingly, the list of nominees includes many Columbia Theatre alums, working in a wide array of diverse theatre fields.

Hell's Kitchen—which features Brandon Victor Dixon (CC ’07) in a featured role and the orchestrations of Tom Kitt (CC '99)—and Stereophonic, whose production team includes Ashley Melone '14, Alex Donnelly (CC’14), and Sean Walsh (CC’14), both swept the nominations, earning 13 each. 

In addition to nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for Dixon and Best Orchestrations for Kitt, Hell’s Kitchen also bagged nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical​

Stereophonic was nominated for Best New Play, Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Sound Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Direction of a Play.

Nominees for Best New Play include Jaja's African Hair Braiding, a play written by Playwriting alumna Jocelyn Bioh ’08. The play was additionally nominated for Best Direction of a Play, Best Sound Design of a Play, and Best Costume Design of a Play.

Also nominated for Best New Play is Grey House, Associate Directed by Logan Reed ’21. The play was additionally nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Play.

Nominees for Best New Musical include Water for Elephants, which features fight direction by Theatre alum Cha Ramos ’21. The musical was also nominated for Best Book of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical, as well as Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and Best Choreography. 

Suffs, lead produced by Adjunct Assistant Professor and Prince Fellowship alumna Rachel Sussman, is also nominated for Best New Musical. Sussman developed the hit musical with direct support from the Prince Fellowship. The show additionally received nominations for Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Nikki M. James), and Best Costume Design of a Musical. Suffs was also produced by Professor of International and Public Affairs Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jill Furman (BUS '97). 

Yet another nominated musical featuring the work of Columbia alums is Lempicka, directed by Rachel Chavkin ‘08. The show received nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Eden Espinosa) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Amber Iman), as well as Best Scenic Design of a Musical.

Also on the list of nominees is the much-anticipated revival of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, co-produced by Thomas Swayne ’20, 2022 Front Row Productions Fellow Lamar Richardson (CC '15), and David Manella '18—who graduated from the joint JD/MFA in Theatre Management and Producing Program. The production received a nomination for Best Musical Revival and was also nominated for Best Direction of a Musical, Best Orchestrations, Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Jonathan Groff), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Daniel Radcliffe), and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Lindsay Mendez).

Appropriate, also co-produced by Richardson, earned nominations for Best Play Revival, Best Leading Actress in a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play, Best Direction of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play, and Best Sound Design of a Play.

Here Lies Love, produced by Hal Luftig ’84, received nominations for Best Original Score, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, and Best Sound Design of a Musical. Annie-B Parson (TC '83) has been nominated for Best Choreography for her work on this musical.

Lastly, Leah Gelpe ’03 (BC ’91) was nominated for Best Sound Design of a Play for her work on Mary Jane. Additionally, the play earned a nomination for Best Direction of a Play​.

Winners of the Tony Awards will be announced on June 16, 2024 during the 77th Annual Tony Awards airing live on CBS. See a full list of nominations here.