The Regional Theatre Tony Award is a special recognition
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
given annually to a regional theater company in the United States. The winner is recommended by a committee of drama
critics
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...
.
Background
Initially presented in 1948 to
Robert Porterfield
Robert Huffard Porterfield (December 21, 1905 – October 28, 1971) was an American actor and theatre director who was best known for founding the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. The theatre was founded in 1933 during the Great Depression. ...
of the
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
Barter Theatre
Barter Theatre, in Abingdon, Virginia, opened on June 10, 1933. It is the longest-running professional Equity theatre in the United States.
History
Concept
In 1933, when the United States was in the middle of the Great Depression, many peo ...
for their ''Contribution To Development Of Regional Theatre'', the Regional Theatre awards were next presented starting in 1976.
["Tony Award history"]
americantheatrecritics.org, accessed April 10, 2011 The award is "based on a recommendation by the
American Theatre Critics Association The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) is the only nationwide professional association of theatre critics in the United States. The ATCA membership consists of theatre critics who write reviews and critiques of live theatre for print, broad ...
", and includes a grant of $25,000. As the American Theatre Critics Association has noted, no theater has won the award more than once, "testifying to the growing strength of professional theater nationwide."
[ One of the objects of the award is promoting what often amounts to the incubators of new productions.
In June 2013, the Tony Awards Administration Committee stated that effective with the 2013-14 season, "New York-based theatre companies will be eligible to receive the Regional Theatre Award." The Broadway League and American Theatre Wing, in a joint statement, explained: "New York has some of the most prestigious and creative theatre groups in the country and we are thrilled to include the New York theatre community in this category."][Gans, Andrew]
New York Theatres Are Now Eligible to Receive Regional Theatre Tony Award"
Playbill, June 13, 2013
Award winners
1940s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
See also
* Special Tony Award
The Special Tony Award category includes the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award and the Special Tony Award. These are non-competitive honorary awards, and the titles have changed over the years. The Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre ...
* Regional theater in the United States A regional theater or resident theater in the United States is a professional or semi-professional theater company that produces its own seasons. The term ''regional theater'' most often refers to a professional theater outside New York City. A reg ...
References
External links
Official Site Tony Awards
{{TonyAwardsbyYear
Tony Awards
American theater awards
Awards established in 1948
1948 establishments in the United States