Theater News

Paul Reubens, Jeffrey Wright, Santino Fontana, David Furr Eligible for Lead Actor Tony; Additional Tony Award Eligibility Decisions Announced

Santino Fontana
(© Tristan Fuge)
Santino Fontana
(© Tristan Fuge)

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met today for the second time this season to decide the eligibility of six Broadway productions for the 2011 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The awards will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from The Beacon Theatre on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 12, 2011.

The six productions discussed include: Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, The Pee-wee Herman Show, The Merchant of Venice, Elf, A Free Man of Color, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

The committee has announced that Paul Reubens, for The Pee-wee Herman Show and Jeffrey Wright for A Free Man of Color, as well as Santino Fontana and David Furr, for their respective performances in The Importance of Being Earnest, will all be eligible for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play award.


Additionally, Lily Rabe will be considered eligible in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her performance in The Merchant of Venice, while Sebastian Arcelus will be considered eligible in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his performance in Elf.

All other decisions were consistent with the opening night credits.

To read TheaterMania’s previous story about the Tony Award eligibility, click here.