Previously, the Rules and Regulations of The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards had given strict guidelines to producers as to what they could distribute to those voting for the annual Tony Awards.   The rules had stated, "Producers may distribute (or cause or permit their agents or other representatives or affiliates to distribute) to Tony Voters (in one or more distributions) each of the following ONLY: (1) a souvenir book; (2) a script; (3) an audio and/or video cast recording that replicates the on-stage performance of the eligible production and that does not contain additional material such as narration, quotations, musical underscoring, etc. (Commercially available recordings that may separately contain additional materials are acceptable) and (4) one set of selected reviews and/or unedited quotations regarding the eligible production. Each type of material may be distributed to Tony Voters physically and electronically."

About the suspension of the rules, Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, executive director of the American Theatre Wing, said in a joint statement, "It is the feeling of the committee that the producers have been acting responsibly and that they will continue to do so without such restrictive language. It is felt that the voters also act responsibly and that such things as souvenirs, edited reviews and small gifts, etc. have no bearing on the voters selections."

The rules for what producers may distribute to members of the Tony Nominating Committee have also been suspended for one year. Those regulations had stated, "Producers may distribute (or cause or permit their agents or other representatives or affiliates to distribute) to members of the Nominating Committee (in one or more distributions) each of the following ONLY: (1) a souvenir book; (2) a script; (3) an audio and/or video cast recording that replicates the on-stage performance of the eligible production and that does not contain additional material such as narration, quotations, musical underscoring, etc. (Commercially available recordings that may separately contain additional materials are acceptable) and (4) one set of selected reviews and/or unedited quotations regarding the eligible production. Each type of material may be distributed to members of the Nominating Committee either physically or electronically, but not both."