Theater Journalists Will No Longer Be Tony Voters

The Tony Awards Management Committee issued a letter to Tony-voting theater journalists on July 14 announcing that they will no longer be allowed to vote for the awards. About 100 members of the so-called “First Night Press List” will be removed from the voting roster in 2009-2010. The remaining 700 voters are drawn from industry groups such as the American Theater Wing, the Broadway League (a trade association of producers), the Dramatists Guild and unions including Actors Equity, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers.

The letter to journalists offered no explanation for the change, saying, “In making this decision, the Tony Management Committee took into account that members of the First Night Press List will of course continue to have the opportunity to express their critical opinions in reviews and other coverage of the theatre season. In addition, the Management Committee took into consideration the fact that certain publications and individual critics have historically pursued a policy of abstaining from voting on entertainment awards in general, to avoid any possible conflicts of interest in fulfilling their primary responsibilities as journalists.”

The First Night press list is made up of critics, journalists and editors who are invited to see a production before opening night in order to post reviews and features just after opening. A larger “Second Night” list of journalists are invited to see the shows after opening and were never eligible to vote for the Tonys. A committee of Broadway press agents administers the press lists.