Rebeck, Wright, Tunie & More Join Tony Nominating Committee

The 2008-2009 Tony Awards Nominating Committee has been set, with new members that include playwrights Theresa Rebeck whose drama Mauritius was passed over in the Best Play race last season and Doug Wright, a Best Play winner in 2004 for I Am My Own Wife. Actress Alice Playten and actress/producer Tamara Tunie also joined the 30-member committee. A complete list follows, with new members indicated by an asterisk:

Joe Benincasa, Executive Director, The Actors Fund
Robert Callely, Theatre Executive
*Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
*Thomas Cott, Producer and Marketing Director
Jacqueline Z. Davis, Executive Director, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center
John Dias, Producer, Dramaturg, Educator
Michael D. Dinwiddie, Associate Professor, Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU
Teresa Eyring, Executive Director, Theatre Communications Group
Sue Frost, Producer
Joanna Gleason, Actor
*Elena K. Holly, Producing Artistic Director, The Present Company
Betty Jacobs, Script Consultant/Theater Historian
Geoffrey Johnson, Retired Casting Director
Michael Kantor, Director, Producer, Writer
*Robert Kimball, Author, Theater Historian
Howard Marren, Composer
Laurence Maslon, Associate Arts Professor, Graduate Acting Program - Tisch School for the Arts at NYU
*Jon Nakagawa, Director, Contemporary Programming, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Phyllis Newman, Actor

*Alice Playten, Actor
*Theresa Rebeck, Playwright
Roger Rees, Actor, Director, Playwright, Lecturer, Administrator
Donald Saddler, Choreographer
Steven Suskin, Theater Author
*Tamara Tunie, Actor, Producer
*William Tynan, Actor, Journalist
Tom Viola, Executive Director, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Kimberlee Wertz, Music Contractor
*Doug Wright, Playwright
*Andrew Zerman, Casting Director

The 63rd annual Tony Awards will be presented at Radio City Music Hall during a live telecast on June 7, 2009.