Isabelle Stevenson Award | |
---|---|
Awarded for | "recognize an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre." [1] |
Location | New York City |
Country | United States |
Presented by | American Theatre Wing & The Broadway League |
Reward(s) | Medallion |
First awarded | 2009 |
Currently held by | Jerry Mitchell (2023) |
Website | www |
The Isabelle Stevenson Award is a non-competitive philanthropic award presented as part of the Tony Awards to "recognize an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre." [1] It is named for Isabelle Stevenson, a dancer who performed for audiences all round the world and was president and later chairperson of the board of the American Theatre Wing until her death in 2003. [2] A single recipient is chosen by the Tony Award Administration Committee and may not be presented at every ceremony. [1] [2] The international press regards the Tony Awards as America's most prestigious theater awards. [3] [4]
The American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League present the winner with a copy of a circular brass and bronze medallion designed by art director Herman Rosse at an annual award ceremony in New York City. [5] [6] The award has been presented annually since the 63rd Tony Awards in 2009. [7] Actress Phyllis Newman was chosen as its inaugural recipient for her work in establishing the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative in 1995 and raising $3.5 million for the organization. [8] Since then, another six women and six men have received the award and no one has won it more than once. [9] As of the 76th Tony Awards in 2023, which honored theatre over the 2022–23 theater season, director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell is the most recent winner in this category "his dedication and contributions to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and for more than three decades of volunteer service through the arts" [10]
Year | Image | Recipient(s) | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | ![]() | Phyllis Newman | Newman established The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative in 1995 and raised $3.5 million for it. | [8] |
2010 | ![]() | David Hyde Pierce | Pierce is an honorary member of the national board of the Alzheimer's Association and a campaigner for research into Alzheimer's disease. | [11] |
2011 | ![]() | Eve Ensler | Ensler established the V-Day global movement to stop violence against girls and women through awareness and education. | [12] |
2012 | ![]() | Bernadette Peters | Peters co-formed the animal charity Broadway Barks with actress Mary Tyler Moore to lobby for the adoption of animal shelters for homeless pets in New York City. | [13] |
2013 | ![]() | Larry Kramer | Kramer co-founded the Gay Men's Health Crisis and later established ACT UP, an international activist and direct action network to develop treatments of HIV/AIDS. | [14] |
2014 | ![]() | Rosie O'Donnell | O'Donnell established the non-profit arts education organization Rosie's Broadway Kids (now Rosie's Theater Kids) in 2003 to allow New York City public school students to learn dance, drama and music. | [15] |
2015 | ![]() | Stephen Schwartz | Schwartz fostered upcoming writers as a long-time board member of the ASCAP Foundation and the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop. He assisted in developing new partnerships as president of the Dramatists Guild of America. | [16] |
2016 | ![]() | Brian Stokes Mitchell | Mitchell supported those in the entertainment field who had or were in a crisis or in transition in the industry through his efforts for the Actors Fund of America. | [17] |
2017 | ![]() | Baayork Lee | Lee founded the National Asian Artists Project to promote Asian-American theater artists through community outreach, educational programming and performances. | [18] |
2018 | – | Nick Scandalios | Scandalios, executive vice-president of Nederlander Organization, one of the largest theater operators in the United States, volunteers with the board of directors for the Family Equality Council to safeguard the rights and safety of LGBT families and their children. | [19] |
2019 | ![]() | Judith Light | Light is an HIV/AIDS advocate and a supporter of LBGT rights through her work in philanthropy. | [20] |
2020 | ![]() | Julie Halston | Halston was honored "for her work and advocacy in raising funding and awareness for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation." | [21] |
2022 | – | Robert E. Wankel | Wankel received recognition for his support of The Actors Fund, Broadway Cares, American Academy of Dramatic Arts and for "his generosity and service to the welfare of our Broadway community, over the past four decades and, especially in the face of a global crisis, is immeasurable." | [22] |
2023 | – | Jerry Mitchell | Mitchell was recognized for "his dedication and contributions to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and for more than three decades of volunteer service through the arts." | [10] |
2024 | ![]() | Billy Porter | Porter was honored for "his work with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Entertainment Community Fund." | [23] |
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 ceremony in Manhattan. The ceremony is held on the second Sunday of June.
Broadway theatre, or Broadway, is a theatre genre that consists of the theatrical performances presented in 41 professional theaters, each with 500 or more seats, in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world.
The Regional Theatre Tony Award is a special recognition Tony Award given annually to a regional theater company in the United States. The winner is recommended by a committee of drama critics.
Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and a nomination for a Grammy Award. In 2016 he received the Isabelle Stevenson Award.
Shoshana E. Bean is a Tony-nominated American singer, songwriter, and stage actress. She has appeared in numerous musicals, performing in major Off-Broadway and Broadway theatres, including in the original production of Hairspray.
Phyllis Newman was an American actress and singer. She won the 1962 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Martha Vail in the musical Subways Are for Sleeping on Broadway, received the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2009 and was nominated another Tony for Broadway Bound (1987), as well as two nominations for Drama Desk Awards.
Baayork Lee is an American actress, singer, dancer, choreographer, theatre director, and author.
The 63rd Annual Tony Awards, which recognized Broadway productions of the 2008-2009 season, were presented on June 7, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony was broadcast by CBS, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.
The Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre is a non-competitive award created by the American Theatre Wing in 1990. They are presented to institutions, individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre, but are not eligible to compete in any of the established Tony Award categories. The Tony Honors "are announced in the autumn. They are bestowed at a separate ceremony that affords recipients a special moment in the spotlight." As explained in Playbill, "In 2003, a new tradition began for the Tony Honors, which were previously announced during the Tony Awards broadcast. Last year, however, the Honors were presented in the fall..."
The 68th Annual Tony Awards were held June 8, 2014, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2013–14 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and was televised live on CBS. Hugh Jackman was the host, his fourth time hosting. The 15 musical Tony Awards went to seven different musicals, and six plays shared the 11 play Tony Awards.
The 69th Annual Tony Awards were held on June 7, 2015, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2014–15 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and broadcast live by CBS. Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming hosted the ceremony.
The 70th Annual Tony Awards were held on June 12, 2016, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2015–16 season. The ceremony temporarily returned to the Beacon Theatre in New York City after three years at Radio City Music Hall and was broadcast live by CBS. James Corden served as host.
The 71st Annual Tony Awards were held on June 11, 2017, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2016–17 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and was broadcast live by CBS. Kevin Spacey served as host.
The 72nd Annual Tony Awards were held on June 10, 2018, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2017–18 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and was broadcast live by CBS. Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban served as hosts.
Ethan Samuel Slater is an American actor, singer, writer, and composer known for his role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the musical of the same name, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won a Drama Desk Award in 2018. During his career he has also acted in musicals directed by Kathleen Marshall, Barry Levinson, John Tartaglia, Bartlett Sher, and John Doyle.
The 73rd Annual Tony Awards were held on June 9, 2019, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2018–19 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and was broadcast live by CBS. James Corden served as host.
The 74th Tony Awards were held on September 26, 2021, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2019–20 season. After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the ceremony was held at the Winter Garden Theatre and was broadcast in two separate parts on CBS and Paramount+. Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom Jr. served as hosts.
The 75th Tony Awards were held on June 12, 2022, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2021–22 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with Ariana DeBose serving as host of the main ceremony, and Darren Criss and Julianne Hough co-hosting a streaming pre-show.
The 76th Tony Awards recognized the achievements in Broadway productions during the 2022–23 season. The ceremony was held at the United Palace in New York City on June 11, 2023. Ariana DeBose served as the host for the second year in a row, with Skylar Astin and Julianne Hough co-hosting a pre-show on Pluto TV prior to the main telecast on CBS.
The 77th Tony Awards will be held on June 16, 2024, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2023–24 season. The ceremony will be held at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater in New York City, and air on CBS. Ariana DeBose will host for the third year in a row.