The

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 c ...

for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non-

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first year. '' Mister Roberts'' received the first Tony Award as Best Play. The award goes to the authors and the producers of the play. Plays that have appeared in previous Broadway productions are instead eligible for Best Revival of a Play.

Award winners

Legend:

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Award records

Multiple awards and nominations

Superlatives

British writer

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and polit ...

has won this award four times, more than any other playwright. Only seven other writers ( Arthur Miller, Terrence McNally, Tony Kushner,

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as '' The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (196 ...

, Neil Simon, Yasmina Reza and Peter Shaffer) have won the award more than once, each winning twice. With ten nominations, Neil Simon has been nominated for the award more than any other playwright. August Wilson, with nine nominations, comes in second, followed by

(seven nominations),

(six nominations), Arthur Miller (five nominations), and

Martin McDonagh Martin Faranan McDonagh (; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director. Born and brought up in London, he is the son of Irish parents. He is known as one of the most acclaimed modern playwrights whose ...

(five nominations). In 1994, Tony Kushner became the first playwright to win consecutive Tony Awards for his two-part '' Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes''. Terrence McNally repeated this feat the following two years with his plays '' Love! Valour! Compassion!'' and '' Master Class''.

References

External links

The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards official website
{{Tony Awards Tony Awards Awards established in 1948 1948 establishments in the United States