The easiest way to accomplish what you would like to happen would be for the Tony Award administrators to expand Tony-elligibility to smaller venues that are currently considered "off-Broadway," but which, generally, produce/house work that is indistinguishable in quality from Broadway and which the only actual distinction is the size of the auditorium. Places I would consider for this are the Mitzi Newhouse and Claire Tow, Playwrights Horizons, the Tony Kiser Theatre, the Laura Pels, Stages 1 and 2 at New World Stages, the Westside, Stage 42, City Center Stages I and II. And maybe even venues that are further afield of Times Square like the McGinn-Cazale and the Orpheum and the Vineyard.
It wouldn't do anything for these productions of the past, but would for productions in these same venues in the future.
Of course, that would create havoc with contracts and all the unions and the League would have to consider if it's okay to leave things as they are, with new titles, since contracts are based on the size of the venue, or if the entire industry would have to be rethought to accomodate a change like this. |
