The Tony Award nominations were announced on Tuesday, April 30. | Image: Courtesy of The Tony Awards
Several CalArtians were counted among Broadway’s best as the 2019 Tony Award nominees were announced on Tuesday, April 30.
Hadestown, a mythological musical following the intertwining romances of Greek deities King Hades and Persephone and young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, leads the pack with 14 nominations. Among these is CalArts alum Todd Sickafoose (Music MFA 98), who is nominated for Best Orchestrations. School of Theater faculty member Mara Isaacs along with alums Dale Franzen (Music MFA 89), Meredith Lynsey Schade (Theater MFA 06) and Kathleen O’Kelly (Theater MFA 18) all hold producing credits on Hadestown, which currently runs at the Walter Kerr Theatre.
Isaacs, lead producer of Hadestown, is the founder of performing arts outfit Octopus Theatricals and recipient of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Isaacs shared the Tony with fellow theatrical producer Schade.
Theatrical lighting designer Kevin Adams (Theater MFA 06) was nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for biographical jukebox musical The Cher Show, which is playing at the Neil Simon Theatre.
Adams was nominated in the same category last year for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, an underwater musical based on legendary CalArtian Stephen Hillenburg’s (Art MFA 92) Nickelodeon cartoon. Adams is the recipient of four Tony Awards for lighting design: Spring Awakening (2007), The 39 Steps (2008), American Idiot (2010) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2014).
Legendary designer Bob Mackie (Chouinard Art Institute alum) was nominated for Best Costume Design for a Musical, also for The Cher Show.
The Tony Award represents the highest honor in Broadway theatre. The 73rd annual Tony Awards, hosted by actor and comedian James Corden, will be held Sunday, June 9 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and televised by CBS.