THE 65TH ANNUAL TONY® AWARDS will be broadcast live from The Beacon Theatre in New York City, Sunday, June 12, 2011 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The awards show, which honors theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been a part of the CBS family since 1978. This will be the first year that the show will be broadcast live from The Beacon Theatre.
“What do The Rolling Stones, the Dalai Lama and Madame Butterfly all have in common? They all played The Beacon,” said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events, CBS Entertainment. “We’re proud to now be adding the TONY AWARDS on CBS to that iconic list and bringing one of the great annual events of theater and TV to one of the truly great historical landmarks of NYC.”
“We’re excited to bring the TONY AWARDS to the Beacon Theatre. We very much look forward to taking this amazing evening honoring the very best in theater, and presenting it to America and the world from a new venue-completely invigorated with a fresh feel, new set and a clean palette to create from,” said Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment, executive producers for the telecast. “In a year that is already shaping up to have some great nominations and television moments to remember, we anticipate this year’s TONYS to be a very exciting evening, which we are thrilled to stage at the Beacon Theatre.”
Next year marks the 65th anniversary of the TONY AWARDS, which were first held on April 6, 1947 at the Waldorf Astoria’s Grand Ballroom. The ceremonies are presented by TONY Award Productions, which is a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, which founded the Tonys in 1947.
The Tonys were founded in memorial to Antoinette (“Tony”) Perry, the American Theatre Wing’s World War II chairperson. The winners are selected by the governing board of Actors Equity, The Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the United Scenic Artists, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, the Casting Society of America, the New York Drama Critics Circle, the American Theatre Wing and members of The Broadway League.
THE 63rd ANNUAL TONY AWARDS received two 2010 Primetime Emmy® Awards: Outstanding Special Class Programs and Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special.
Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producers. Weiss will also serve as director for the 12th consecutive year.