How Does Tony Awards Voting Work? One Tony Voter Responds

The Tony Awards are happening in just under two weeks, and the debate around town is who will get a statuette. While we at �뵺�� cannot predict the results, we can do something that’s nearly as entertaining: Take all of your burning Tony questions and present them to a Tony voter.

There are currently 831 Tony voters (though that number). Those voters are now seeing (or re-seeing) shows nominated by the . The Tony voting body is made up of industry folks, everyone from actors onstage to designers behind the scenes to playwrights to producers, even press people. Tony voters usually serve for a three-year term, so if you work in theatre, at a certain point, you will know a Tony voter. Full disclosure: No one on the �뵺�� editorial staff is a Tony voter, but we do know a few.

Below, we asked a voter to explain to us, anonymously, how the Tony voting process works, how one becomes a voter, seeing every show on Broadway, and who they’re rooting for. The opinions below are just from one voter out of over 800, and should not be seen as the opinion of the Tony Awards or its producers, the Broadway League or the American Theatre Wing. Below is a peek behind the curtain of the Tony voting process.

How did you become a Tony voter?
As a person involved in the industry, I was invited to become a voter. It is such an honor to have this responsibility, and I take it very seriously.

Do you have to see everything?
You have to see everything. By the time I submit my vote, I will have seen everything at least once. When you see a show, you have to go into a portal and log in when you've seen it.

When do you have to submit your Tony ballot?
I have to submit by noon on June 6. I believe in the past, it was earlier than that because they were paper ballots. But now that everything is done electronically, you can really do it up to the last minute. And voting opened on May 12.

Do you see shows multiple times?
I am repeating some shows. I would repeat a few more, if I had more bandwidth, but I don't. The shows do invite you back—especially shows that opened earlier in the season, they invite you back because they want to refresh your memory and keep their shows top of mind. And it's the reason that so many shows open so close to the [Tony nominations] cut off date [of April 27], because they want to be top of mind.

I'm trying to only have three shows in a week. But then, and this happened to me with Boop!, where an hour before curtain, I get the text saying a principal's out, I have to rebook it. So, you go with the best intention of not overdoing it in a week, but ultimately you end up having to see many shows in one week.

What's your process for evaluating shows, especially before nominations?
I have two different processes. Again, this is just me. I have the process before the nominations, and then the process after the nominations. So after the nominations, I pay particular attention to whatever they are nominated for. Prior to that, I pay attention to everything. So I see a show, and I go home, and all of my �뵺��s are filled with Post-It notes, scribbling down notes about performers and performances. I tend to focus a little bit more on the things that are beyond my level of expertise—like sound design, lighting, orchestrations. Those aren't things that I necessarily fully understand, but when they strike me, that says something. So I try to make special notes on that. It's easier to remember performances and content.

How often do things that are to your taste match the nominations?
Most of the shows and most of the people nominated, I'm not surprised by. I think if I have one note, it's that I wish there was a category for ensembles, because I feel like there are so many shows which are truly ensemble where, you know, everybody in it is so unbelievable. Something like Operation Mincemeat is an ensemble show; it's not a show where there's a leading actor and a leading actress. I feel like they're all fairly equal. And I wish there was an ensemble category to really honor those performances.

Who are you rooting for? You don't have to name names if you don't feel comfortable.
I look for originality, even if it's a new take on something that's old, but bringing something new to the picture makes a difference to me—which probably tells you how I'm voting in several categories.

Was there a snub that really upset you?
There are a limited number of nominations, so obviously there's always people that you would love to get nominated who don't receive one. Some names that pop out at me are Christopher Sieber [from Death Becomes Her] and Helen J Shen [from Maybe Happy Ending]. And Swept Away. I see a scenic design nomination there. I really did like the show. I thought it was powerful, and I think there could have been a place for it. I wrote good things about John Gallagher Jr. in my notes; I'd like to see him do more. I loved seeing him back on Broadway.

What's been the hardest category for you to decide?
Well, Best Play is tough because this was just a generous season of beautiful plays. So that's a tough, tough category. As is Lead Actor in a Musical and Featured Actor in a Play.

What's been the easiest category for you to decide?
I think I'd say it's Lead Actor in a Play.

Do you get free swag as a Tony voter?
Floyd Collins sent us little lanterns. Most people send us scripts. So I have scripts for practically all of the shows (including an annotated one from Oh, Mary!). I got a flip book from Death Becomes Her showing the fall down the stairs, postcards from Maybe Happy Ending, Mincemeat sent their cast recording on vinyl.... One year, Into the Woods sent us a mini Milky White.

Does swag or a lot of press influence your thought process as a Tony voter?
I don't read reviews until after I've seen the show, so I try to go in with a clean brain. But sometimes, it's hard to avoid. I wish in some way, that some of these other industry awards were after the Tonys, because they do seep into your head a little bit. And the Times will run a piece on ? You try to avoid that, but people talk, and then sometimes you peek, even though you say you're not going to because you can't help it. And I disagree with some of it. It doesn't change my opinion—or at least I hope it doesn't.

How does this season compare to other seasons you've voted in?
I think this is, by far, the most exciting season we've had since COVID. I think the originality is something to truly celebrate. This was a season for great plays, and that makes me super happy, because great plays are what Broadway's built on. And I could say the same thing about a number of the musicals. I think some of them are really great and original.