Last night’s 73rd Annual Tony Awards marked many firsts for women who are paving the way on Broadway, both onstage and off. The show was indicative that post-#MeToo, the course of history for females working on Broadway is changing. Not only did many women take home a trophy, the discussion of gender was a constant.
Presenter Tina Fey kicked off the conversation early in the evening before introducing her category, Best Featured Actress in a Play, when she said, “Although, in 2019, I don’t know why an acting contest has to be separated by gender.” She then gave the first award of the night to Celia Keenan-Bolger, who won for her role in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Backstage, Keenan-Bolger said that “the award is meaningful because this role is very much tied to who I am and how I was raised. It’s also an award for my parents and grandparents, who are such advocates for social justice.”
Ali Stroker won for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, marking a significant milestone as the first person ever in a wheelchair to win a Tony for her role as Ado Annie in “Oklahoma!” Stroker, who is paralyzed from the waist down, inspired viewers with her speech, saying, “This award is for every kid who is watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge, who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena — you are.”
Elaine May won for Best Leading Actress in a Play for her role in “The Waverly Gallery.” Stunningly, she told the audience that this was her first award ever in a career that spans over 60 years. “I’ve never won a nomination for acting before, so I want to tell you how I did it. I got in a play written by Kenneth Lonergan. It was about his family. I played his grandmother,” she said. “My family was played by everyone you’ve ever wanted to be on stage with. Joan Allen was my daughter. Lucas Hedges was my grandson. David Cromer was my son-in-law, and Michael Cera was my only friend. And, at the end of the play, I died.”
Stephanie J. Block took home Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Cher in “The Cher Show.” In her acceptance speech, she thanked “the goddess Cher for her life and legacy,” which resulted in an exuberant tweet by Cher herself wishing Block a sincere congratulations.
Rachel Hauck took home the prize for Best Scenic Design in a Play for “Hadestown,” which, with its eight awards, was the night’s clear winner. Hauck is also the only female set designer who created a set for both a musical and play this season, having also worked on Heidi Schreck’s “What the Constitution Means to Me.” Jessica Paz, alongside collaborator Nevin Steinberg, won Best Sound Design of a Musical for “Hadestown,” making her the first woman ever to be nominated in the category.
Rachel Chavkin won Best Direction of a Musical for “Hadestown.” The fourth woman to win this award and the only woman directing a Broadway musical during the 2018-2019 season, Chavkin openly called these facts out in her acceptance speech and asked the Broadway community to be more welcoming to women and artists of color. “I wish I wasn’t the only woman directing a musical on Broadway this season. There are so many women and artists of color ready to go,” she said. “It’s a failure of imagination by a field whose job it is to imagine how the world could be.”
“Hadestown” was responsible for many more important wins by women. Songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and Chavkin’s win for Best Musical made it the first time the award has ever gone to a show both directed and written by women. Mitchell also won the award for Best Original Score, marking the third time the honor has ever gone to a solo woman or an all-female team.
Producer Eva Price accepted the award for Best Musical Revival for “Oklahoma!” Afterward, backstage, Price said that “Oklahoma!” is Broadway’s first “gun neutral” production, which means that for every visible prop gun onstage, it makes a donation to organizations committed to solving the gun violence crisis by destroying firearms that should be out of circulation.
There were other advocacy shout-outs by or about women. Actor Billy Porter made a powerful statement about women’s reproductive rights with his outfit, and Tony nominees showed their support for the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and other women’s organizations by donning ribbons. Though she did not win an award for “What the Constitution Means to Me,” Schreck said that “one of the most powerful things women can do is tell truth about her own life. Imagine a better, more humane country.”
In addition to the competitive awards, Rosemary Harris won a Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater, and Judith Light won the Isabelle Stevenson prize.
Chavkin spoke more about gender parity in the press room after her win, reiterating that inclusion has long been a particular passion of hers. “Our field is filled with progressive people but our field is not exemplary,” she noted. “It’s not a call for altruism, it’s a call for hiring people.” With her win and all the events of the night, it seems certain that women are indeed taking a further step up in the world of Broadway and that these substantial Tony wins are the only beginning of their climb.
A full list of winners can be found on the Tonys’ website.
