Katrina Lenk Wins First Tony Award for The Band's Visit

Katrina Lenk is a Tony winner! The Broadway alum took home the prize in the Best Leading Actress in a Musical category for her performance as Dina in The Band's Visit. The win was announced at the 72nd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 10. The other nominees in the category were Lauren Ambrose for My Fair Lady, Hailey Kilgore for Once On This Island, LaChanze for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Taylor Louderman for Mean Girls and Jessie Mueller for Carousel.

In her acceptance speech, Lenk said, "Every moment working on The Band's Visit is a privilege and a thrill and has filled my stupid little heart with so much joy—this moment ain't so bad either."

The Band's Visit marks Lenk's first Tony nomination and win. She has also been seen on Broadway in Once, Indecent, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and The Miracle Worker.

The Band's Visit is based on Eran Kolirin’s 2007 film about an Egyptian police band that arrives in Israel to play a concert. After a mix-up at the border, they are sent to a remote village in the middle of the desert. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways.

Congrats to Lenk on her first Tony win! Check out luminous show clips from The Band's Visit below.


Give a watch to Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek's sitdown with Katrina Lenk on Show People.