By MICHAEL PAULSON JUNE 10, 2015 3:05 PM | ArtsBeat/The New York Times
The Dramatists Guild of America, unhappy that honors for writers and composers were given off-air during the Tony Awards ceremony on Sunday, is urging its broadcast network CBS to reconsider next year.
The practice of presenting the awards off-air drew pointed criticism this year because, for the first time, an all-female team, Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, won the Tony for best score, for work on “Fun Home”; Ms. Kron also won a Tony for best book, and the show was named best new musical. The book and score awards were announced to the audience at Radio City Music Hall during commercial breaks. Brief clips naming Ms. Tesori and Ms. Kron were aired later in the broadcast and their acceptance speeches were posted online.
In a letter to the CBS president, Leslie Moonves, the president of the Dramatists Guild, Doug Wright, said other major award shows, the Academy Awards, Grammys, Emmys and Golden Globes all honor writing on the air.
“Ironically it’s the theater that most esteems writers; we are generally recognized as the principal artistic force behind new work, and we even retain ownership and control over the material we create,” he wrote. “Yet on the very awards show intended to celebrate our craft, we are effectively negated.”
CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment; a spokeswoman for the Tony Awards said the show would have no comment.
Lisa Kron, left, and Jeanine Tesori accepting a Tony Award for best score, for work on “Fun Home,” during a commercial break in the broadcast Sunday. © Sara Krulwich/The New York Times ©
Victoria Myers, co-founder of The Interval, a website about women in theater, welcomed the Dramatists Guild letter, but said she wished it had come earlier. Ms. Myers and Shoshana Greenberg circulated a petition before the broadcast, urging the presentation of book and score awards on-air.
“While we’re thrilled that the Dramatists Guild is now taking a stand about the omission of the categories for best book and best score, we’re disappointed that they’re only doing so retroactively,” Ms. Myers said. “History only happens once and many people missed out on this important moment for women.”
Reference: ArtsBeat/The New York Times By MICHAEL PAULSON JUNE 10, 2015 3:05 PM
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