The Creative Arts Awards, according to the Tony website, "honor behind-the-scenes excellence on Broadway." These awards also include the presentation of the Regional Theatre Tony Award (to Chicago Shakespeare Theater).
The Creative Arts Awards will be presented at approximately 7:10 PM ET at Radio City Music Hall and will be webcast live on TonyAwards.com.
The Tony evening begins at 6 PM ET with live Red Carpet coverage of the arrival of the evening's stars, also webcast at TonyAwards.com. The Red Carpet arrivals will be followed by the aforementioned Creative Awards and the 8 PM TV broadcast of the 2008 Tony Awards.
Julie White won her Tony for her work in Douglas Carter Beane's The Little Dog Laughed. She has also appeared onstage in From Up Here, Bad Dates, Fiction, The Heidi Chronicles, Dinner With Friends, Barbra's Wedding, Spike Heels and The Family of Mann. Her film credits include "Transformers," "The Astronaut Farmer," "The Nanny Diaries" and "Michael Clayton." White has been seen on the small screen in "Cavemen," "Desperate Housewives," "Grace Under Fire" and "Six Feet Under."
Michael Cerveris, who won his Tony Award for his work in the revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Weidman's Assassins, was also Tony-nominated for his performances LoveMusik, Sweeney Todd and The Who's Tommy. Cerveris originated the role of architect Thomas Andrews in the Tony-winning musical Titanic and also appeared onstage in Cymbeline, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Total Eclipse, Abingdon Square, Life Is a Dream and the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and Ravinia Festival mountings of Passion. Stage and screen star Whoopi Goldberg will host the 62nd Annual Tony Awards, which will be broadcast on CBS-TV 8-11 PM ET. Presenters for the program currently include Gabriel Byrne, Julie Chen, Harry Connick, Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Mandy Patinkin, David Hyde Pierce, Lily Tomlin, John Waters, Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Close, Richard Griffiths, Laura Linney, John Lithgow, Liza Minnelli, Mary-Louise Parker, Daniel Radcliffe, Brooke Shields and Marisa Tomei.
Tony watchers can expect musical numbers from 13 currently running Broadway shows, including the four Best Musical nominees (Cry-Baby, In the Heights, Passing Strange and Xanadu) and the four Best Musical Revival nominees (Grease, Gypsy, Sunday in the Park With George and South Pacific) as well as A Catered Affair, The Little Mermaid, Young Frankenstein, The Lion King and Rent.
The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. CBS has broadcast the annual event since 1978.
For more information visit www.TonyAwards.com.
