Broadway Press Day with Ruthie Fierberg

The Isabelle Stevenson Award from the Tony Awards recognizes a member of the theater community who has volunteered their time to humanitarian, social service or charitable efforts. This year’s recipient is Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Campbell is an acclaimed conductor, music director, orchestrator, composer and arranger. She is currently the music director of New York City Center’s Encores! series. Ca...

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre were established to recognize individuals and organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement but are not eligible for established competitive Tony Award categories. The 1/52 Project, founded by Tony-winning designer Beowulf Boritt, received an honor this year. The organization calls on designers (and industry professionals) to donate a frac...

In addition to naming nominees who will compete in 26 categories, each the Tony Awards also names a select few recipients of the Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. Production manager Jake Bell is one of the 2026 honorees. But what is a production manager? Jake enlightens us and shares some memories from his decades in the business here. Want to be the first to hear these chats? Visit broadw...

“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” is a story about a Brit and a New Yorker. The musical began in the U.K. before transferring to the United States. It follows, then, that its producing team is also a mix of pros from the U.K. and the U.S. Here, producers Tim Johanson, Gareth Lake of Glass Half Full Productions and Kevin McCollum share why they invested in the original musical and how...

Lighting designer Stacey Derosier first designed for Broadway in 2025 with “The Last Five Years.” One year later, Derosier has been nominated for a Tony Award for the lighting design of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” Here, Derosier breaks down the challenges of lighting this revival, the inspiration behind it and more. Want to be the first to hear these chats? Visit broadwaynews.com and get early a...

Producer Eva Price has previously won three Tony Awards: for co-producing Best Musical winner “Dear Evan Hansen,” co-producing Best Revival of a Play winner “Angels in America” and lead-producing Best Revival of a Musical winner “Oklahoma!” Now, Price is double-nominated for lead-producing Best Play nominee “Liberation” and Best Musical nominee “Titaníque.” Below, Price describes how she didn’t ex...

Designer Jen Schriever has created the lighting for 15 Broadway shows. She’s previously received Tony Award nominations for 2022’s “A Strange Loop” and 2023’s “Death of a Salesman.” So, as director and Schriever’s co-lighting designer Michael Arden likes to say, Schriever didn’t need a co-designer. Yet, she agreed to a partnership with Arden for the massive musical “The Lost Boys,” the show for wh...

An acclaimed British actor, Mark Strong has only been on Broadway twice. Yet he surely knows how to make an impact — as both his 2015 performance as Eddie Carbone in “A View From the Bridge” and his 2025 performance in the title role of “Oedipus” earned him Tony Award nominations. Here, Strong discusses building a contemporary Oedipus, crafting his relationship with co-star Lesley Manville and mis...

Producing partners and married couple Brian and Dayna Lee made their Broadway debuts as co-producers of the 2018 revival of “Angels in America,” garnered their first Tony Award for producing. The two then co-produced the 2024 revival of “Cabaret,” earning another Tony nod. Now, they have earned their Main Stem lead-producing debuts, shepherding “Giant” to the Rialto and receiving their first Tony...

Tim Jackson made his Broadway debut in 2023 as the choreographer of that year’s revival of “Merrily We Roll Along.” Just two years later, Jackson made his Main Stem directorial debut with “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” which is up for eight Tony Awards — including one for Jackson for Best Direction of a Musical. Jackson actually began as the dramaturg for the musical and was taken...

Actor Brandon Uranowitz has been nominated for five Tony Awards. First, he was recognized for his turn in “An American in Paris,” then for the 2017 revival of “Falsettos,” the 2019 revival of “Burn This” and “Leopoldstadt.” Uranowitz clinched the win for the latter production for his dual roles as Nathan/Ludwig. Today, he is a 2026 Tony nominee for his performance as Tateh in “Ragtime.” Here, Uran...

Justin Ellington made his Broadway debut as a sound designer in 2021 with the play “Pass Over.” He earned his first Tony Award nomination for his sound design of the 2022 revival of “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.” Now, he’s racked up his third nomination — for the sound design of the current revival of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” Below, Ellington recalls...

Chris Hoch and David Hornsby have actually known each other since high school, when they competed against each other in drama tournaments. Now, the pair are on the same side as they compete to win a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for “The Lost Boys.” Hoch and Hornsby are first-time musical writers and first-time Tony nominees. In this episode, the duo share details behind crafting grounded...

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire made his Broadway debut with “Rabbit Hole” in 2006. The play was Tony Award-nominated for Best Play and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. This year, Lindsay-Abaire is nominated for Best Play for the world-premiere production of “The Balusters.” Here, the playwright reveals his process for writing 10 characters with a variety of backgrounds and his strategy for find...

Actor Sam Tutty made his Broadway debut this past fall, originating the role of Dougal Todd in “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).” A London-based actor, Tutty won the Olivier Award in 2020 for his performance as Evan in “Dear Evan Hansen.” Now, Tutty has received his first Tony Award nomination. In this episode, the actor talks about developing his golden retriever-like character to be...

As one of two principal design directors with 59 Studio, Ben Pearcy has contributed projection and video design to such shows as “Flying Over Sunset” and “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” This season, Pearcy has earned a Tony Award nomination for his work on the Lincoln Center Theater revival of “Ragtime.” In this episode, Pearcy explains the difference between lighting, projection and video de...

Co-directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch teamed up for the first time to revive “Cats” as “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” Both are accomplished directors. Levingston is an Obie Award winner and made his Broadway directorial debut with “Chicken & Biscuits.” Rauch has shepherded large ensemble plays like “All the Way” and “The Great Society” to the Main Stem. Both are now first-time Tony Award...

Of the three plays Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) produced on Broadway in the 2025-2026 season, all received Tony Award nominations. The nonprofit institution is headed by artistic director Nicki Hunter and executive director Chris Jennings. The two spoke to Broadway News about the art of crafting a balanced season as well as the overall health of Broadway. Want to be the first to hear these chats?...

Choreographer Ellenore Scott staged two musicals this season, earning her first Tony Award nomination for her choreography of “Ragtime.” The revival was only her fourth Broadway production as choreographer. In the below episode, Scott talks about her conceit behind specific sequences in the musical by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Want to be the first to hear these chats? Vis...

“Schmigadoon!” is a giant serving of good ol’ musical theater, and it took a strong team of producers to bring the show, which premiered as a musical television series, to Broadway. The producing team is led by Lorne Michaels, No Guarantees Productions, Micah Frank and Caroline Maroney. Below, Megan O’Keefe, president and chief operating office of No Guarantees, along with Frank spoke to Broadway...

Orchestrator Mike Morris made his Broadway debut just a few weeks ago with the Main Stem premiere of “Schmigadoon!” And now, Morris is a 2026 Tony Award nominee for Best Orchestrations alongside co-orchestrator Doug Besterman. Here, Morris explains on behalf of himself and his creative partner the unique and often hidden challenges — from choosing the instruments in the orchestra to designating th...

Bryce Pinkham wasn’t initially trained as a musical theater actor. Pinkham studied at the Yale School of Drama and expected he’d build a career performing in straight plays. Well, Broadway had other plans. Pinkham made his Broadway name in musicals, especiall with his Tony Award-nominated turn in “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.” This season, Pinkham brings more musical theater acumen to t...

Scenic designer and architect David Rockwell designed his 36th Broadway show this season: “Fallen Angels.” His concept for the revival of Noël Coward’s farce has earned Rockwell his seventh Tony Award nomination. Of all the sets Rockwell has designed, he told Broadway News that “Fallen Angels” was the most challenging — making the nomination all the sweeter. Here, Rockwell describes the calculated...

Sound designer Walter Trarbach made his Broadway debut as the associate sound designer for 2004’s “700 Sundays.” His first lead design credit was 2007’s “Cymbeline,” and his first Tony Award nomination was for 2017’s “SpongeBob SquarePants.” It’s worth noting that the categories for Best Sound Design have been in and out of contention for Tony Awards during the years of Trarbach’s career. Here, Tr...

Brandon J. Dirden has been acting on Broadway for almost 20 years, and this season he has earned his first Tony Award nomination. Dirden was recognized for his performance as Pozzo in “Waiting for Godot.” In this episode, Dirden discusses his process of crafting this bombastic character in the Samuel Beckett classic. Want to be the first to hear these chats? Visit broadwaynews.com and get early ac...