The Colleges and Universities Attended by Tony Award Nominees

Stockard Channing in Other Desert Cities
(© Joan Marcus)

This year’s Tony Award nominees come from a huge variety of backgrounds. Most, however, have received some form of higher education on their path to the top. TheaterMania has compiled information about the alma maters of many of the artists who are nominated. Is your school on the list?

Leading Actor in a Play
James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors – N/A (left school at 17)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – New York University
James Earl Jones, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man – University of Michigan
Frank Langella, Man and Boy – Syracuse University
John Lithgow, The Columnist – Harvard, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur – AMDA, New School (BA), New York University (MFA)
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow – Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities – Radcliffe College
Linda Lavin, The Lyons – College of William and Mary
Cynthia Nixon, Wit – Barnard College

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, Follies – Queens College (BA), UC San Diego (MFA)
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies – Ithaca College
Steve Kazee, Once – Morehead State University (BA), New York University (MFA)
Norm Lewis, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess – no record found
Ron Raines, Follies – Oklahoma City University, Juilliard

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jan Maxwell, Follies – Minnesota State University Moorhead
Audra McDonald, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess – Juilliard
Cristin Milioti, Once – New York University
Kelli O’Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It – Oklahoma City University
Laura Osnes, Bonnie & Clyde – University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher – Carnegie Mellon
Michael Cumpsty, End of the Rainbow – Haileybury College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Tom Edden, One Man, Two Guvnors – Rose Bruford College
Andrew Garfield, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – Central School of Speech and Drama
Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park – New York University (Grad acting)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Linda Emond, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – University of Washington (MFA)
Spencer Kayden, Don’t Dress for Dinner – Northwestern University
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher – University of Michigan
Judith Light, Other Desert Cities – Carnegie Mellon University
Condola Rashad, Stick Fly – California Institute of the Arts

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Phillip Boykin, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess – University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music, Howard University
Michael Cerveris, Evita – Yale University
David Alan Grier, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess – University of Michigan, Yale School of Drama
Michael McGrath, Nice Work If You Can Get It – Boston Conservatory
Josh Young, Jesus Christ Superstar – Syracuse University

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Elizabeth A. Davis, Once – Baylor University, Cleveland Playhouse/Case Western University
Jayne Houdyshell, Follies – Oakland University
Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It – UCLA
Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever – Syracuse University
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost the Musical – Temple University, Yale School of Drama

Best Play
Bruce Norris, Clybourne Park – Northwestern University
Jon Robin Baitz, Other Desert Cities – Beverly Hills High School
Rick Elice, Peter and the Starcatcher – Cornell University (BA), Yale Drama School (MFA), Teaching Fellow at Harvard
David Ives, Venus in Fur – Northwestern University, Yale Drama School (MFA)

Director of a Musical
Jeff Calhoun, Newsies – N/A (Attended Richland High School)
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It – Smith College
Diane Paulus, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess – Harvard University, Columbia University
John Tiffany, Once – University of Glasgow (Masters), Harvard Radcliffe Fellow

Director of a Play
Nicholas Hytner, One Man, Two Guvnors – Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Pam MacKinnon, Clybourne Park – University of Toronto
Mike Nichols, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – Dropped out of both NYU and University of Chicago
Roger Rees, Peter and the Starcatcher – Slade School of Fine Art
Alex Timbers, Peter and the Starcatcher – Yale School of Drama

Choreography
Rob Ashford, Evita – Washington and Lee University, Point Park University
Christopher Gattelli, Newsies – no record found
Steven Hoggett, Once – Swansea University
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It – Smith College