It's the back end of their article on the Broadway closure extension:
The uncertain Broadway schedule has impeded the Tony Awards, which honor Broadway plays and musicals. The ceremony, originally scheduled for June 7, has been postponed indefinitely.
A few options being discussed in the industry: The Tonys could extend the eligibility deadline, which had been April 23, for shows to compete in this year’s awards, and hold a ceremony later in the year. But the longer Broadway remains closed, the less practical that seems because of the amount of time it takes to preview and open a show and then allow the approximately 850 Tony voters, who live all over the country, time to see it.
One alternative: Honor an abbreviated 2019-20 season, considering only those shows that opened before the March 12 shutdown. That would exclude 16 shows that had been scheduled to open between that date and the April 23 deadline.
Another option: The Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, which jointly produce the awards, could consolidate the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, and let any shows that opened over a two-year period compete for honors at an awards ceremony next year.
In any case, awards organizers are hoping CBS will agree to air a broadcast, coordinated with the reopening of Broadway, that would celebrate theater as a way of reminding viewers of the joys of the art form. |
