Playbill News: Tony Committee Announces More Eligibility for 2008; Morton and Dunagan in Best Actress Slot

Tony Committee Announces More Eligibility for 2008; Morton and Dunagan in Best Actress Slot

By Kenneth Jones
January 22, 2008

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met Jan. 17 for the second time this season to decide the eligibility of 14 Broadway productions for the 2008 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

In one of the rulings sure to prompt fan buzz, Chicago actresses Amy Morton and Deanna Dunagan, of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company's August: Osage County, were deemed eligible in the same category — Best Actress in a Play. Dunagan plays the braying pills-and-booze-addicted mother to Morton's middle-aged daughter.

Among the committee's determinations:

Max Crumm and Laura Osnes will be considered in the Leading Actor and Actress in a Musical categories for their performances in Grease.

Rosie Perez will be considered in the Featured Actress in a Play category for her performance in The Ritz.

Boyd Gaines and Jay O. Sanders will both be considered in the Featured Actor in a Play category for their performances in Pygmalion.

Daniel Sunjata will be considered in the Featured Actor in a Play category for his role in Cyrano de Bergerac.

Brian Cox and Rufus Sewell will both be considered in the Leading Actor in a Play category for their performances in Rock 'n' Roll.

Roger Bart will be considered in the Leading Actor in a Musical category for his performance in Young Frankenstein.

Martha Plimpton will be considered in the Leading Actress in a Play category for her performance in Cymbeline.

Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton will both be considered in the Leading Actress in a Play category for their performances in August: Osage County.

Norbert Leo Butz will be considered in the Leading Actor in a Play category for his performance in Is He Dead?

Raúl Esparza, Michael McKean, James Frain and Gareth Saxe will all be considered in the Featured Actor in a Play category for their performances in The Homecoming.

All other decisions were consistent with the opening night credits. That is, only actors whose names appear above the title are eligible for nomination in the Leading Actor/Actress categories. Producers must petition the Administration Committee in order to change actors' eligibility status.

This is the second time the Tony Award Administration Committee has met this year. It will meet two more times to discuss the eligibility of shows opening in the 2007-2008 season. The cut-off date for eligibility is May 7, and nominations will be announced on May 13.

The 62nd Annual American Theatre Wing's Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards will be broadcast live on the CBS-TV network from Radio City Music Hall on June 15.

The Tonys are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Gerald Schoenfeld is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is executive director. At the American Theatre Wing, Sondra Gilman is chairman, Doug Leeds is president and Howard Sherman is executive director. For Tony Award Productions, Elizabeth I. McCann is managing producer and Joey Parnes is Coordinating Producer. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss/White Cherry Entertainment are executive producers of the 2008 Tony Awards. Weiss will also serve as director of the 2008 Tony Awards.

The official Tony Awards web site is at www.TonyAwards.com. News and feature content is provided in cooperation with Playbill.com.