Tony Awards Eligibility: Committee Rules on Dear Evan Hansen, The Great Comet & More

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met on January 26 for the second time this season and confirmed the eligibility of 13 Broadway productions in the 2016-17 season: The Encounter, Holiday Inn, Oh, Hello, Heisenberg, The Cherry Orchard, The Front Page, Falsettos, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, A Bronx Tale, Dear Evan Hansen, In Transit and The Present.

The committee made the following rulings that veer from the productions’ opening night billing:

Simon McBurney will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play category for his performance in The Encounter.

Will Duke will be considered eligible along with Michael Levine in the Best Scenic Design of a Play category for their work on The Encounter.

Bryce Pinkham and Lora Lee Gayer will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical categories for their respective performances in Holiday Inn.

Denis Arndt and Mary-Louise Parker will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Leading Role in a Play categories for their respective performances in Heisenberg.

Chuck Cooper, Tavi Gevinson, John Glover, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Harold Perrineau and Joel Grey will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Featured Role in a Play categories for their respective performances in The Cherry Orchard.

Nathan Lane, John Goodman, Jefferson Mays, Holland Taylor, Sherie Rene Scott and Robert Morse will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in a Featured Role in a Play categories for their respective performances in The Front Page.

Christian Borle will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category for his performance in Falsettos.

James Lapine will be considered eligible in the Best Direction of a Musical category for his work on Falsettos.

Bobby Conte Thornton will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category for his performance in A Bronx Tale.

Ben Platt will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category for his performance in Dear Evan Hansen.

The Present (author: Andrew Upton) will be considered eligible in the Best Play category.

All other eligibility determinations were consistent with the show’s opening night credits. The committee’s first meeting in October led to eligibility decisions for Cats and Paramour, as well as the Hudson Theatre (the soon-to-be home of Sunday in the Park with George).

The Committee will meet twice more this season to determine the eligibility of the remaining productions. The 71st Annual Tony Awards will take place on June 11 at Radio City Music Hall. Nominations will be announced on May 2.