It was a sucky season for women creatives (meaning playwrights and musical creators) at the Tonys this year. Don’t only take my word for it. Here’s another piece by Princeton academic Jill Dolan on the lack of female Tony nominees.

Because there were no women nominated in the top categories of best play or best musical (except for Cheri Steinkellner who was nominated for best book of a musical for Sister Act) and there were no women written plays nominated for best revival or a play of musical, of course there were going to be few female winners. We all knew that going in.

But that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow or to watch (or not watch which is what I did this year for the first time in a decade.) I’m not going to spend my time watching something that celebrates an industry that doesn’t support female voices. Women buy the majority of theatre tickets, yet there are no plays or musicals by women produced. Something is seriously wrong here.

The female winners.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Frances McDormand — Good People
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Sutton Foster — Anything Goes
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Ellen Barkin — The Normal Heart
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical — Nikki M. James The Book of Mormon
Best Direction of a Play Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris — War Horse
Best Choreography- Kathleen Marshall Anything Goes
Best Scenic Design of a Play — Rae Smith — War Horse
Best Costume Design of a Musical Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner — Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Best Lighting Design of a Play Paule Constable — War Horse