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Tony Award Hype: Before and After

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By Jenna Bawer
    The Tony Awards Season- the time of year when theater is hotter than ever in the public eye. As Summer approaches people come in from all over the world- some never having seen a Broadway production before -and they search for the most heavily nominated and award-winning shows on the Great White Way. After the awards, do the shows that win get more attention and the others? I wanted to see just how much of an impact the hype had on the theater community. I spent a Sunday afternoon in the city a week before the Tonys speaking with members of the theater community, from the patrons to the theater staff to the owners in the Broadway shops. I returned two days after the awards to see if there was a clear impact.
    I was in the city around two o’clock, when many people were waiting for three o’clock performances. I took the opportunity to visit the theaters of Tony-nominated shows and see how big a draw the nominations were to people. In the line for Fun Home, I spoke to Emily from Chicago. She told me she hadn’t come to the show because of the Tony nomination specifically, but because she was part of a musical class, and her teacher had suggested she see the show. She did, however, see On the 20th Century due to its nomination and for Kristin Chenoweth’s role (which has earned her a nomination for best actress in a musical). Patrons of Hand to God, Skylight, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time  likewise were not drawn only by the Tony nominations (for “Curious”, people said they came because they had enjoyed the original book; Skylight attracted more people due to its short run and cast rotations). It was refreshing for me to know the majority of people I spoke to wanted to see these shows for what they were, not just because they were acclaimed.
    Once the shows had started and all the theatergoers were inside the theaters, I spoke with some people in professions related to theater to see their experience with the Tony season. A security guard for Something Rotten! explained how after “Rotten” was nominated for best musical, there was a rise in its popularity. During the previews they only needed two floors for the theater, but they became so popular they needed to expand and use the top floor of the theater! A TodayTix worker outside of “Curious” told me that the TodayTix sales “just go crazy” during Tony season. Fewer tickets are available for each show on the app, though they will continue to sell tickets for a show if there are at least two available.
    The height of the Tony hype was the Tony Shop on 46th Street, selling merchandise related to the Tonys, the nominated shows, and some general Broadway books, outfits, and other goods. The employees there had a lot to say about the effects of Tony hype on Broadway. “Shows sell out more between May and June,” they said. They also discussed the evolution of the Tonys: originally there were fewer categories and the recipients were based off of write-in candidates. Eventually the show adapted to be more like the Oscars and the like, becoming what the Tony Shop clerks described as “an inside deal to promote theater”.
    The Tuesday after the ceremony, I checked back in around five o’clock with some of the theaters to see if anyone had come to shows just because had won awards. Walking through Shubert Alley, I noticed several posters had added “WINNER OF THE 2015 TONY AWARD FOR _____” to their credentials. I then returned to the crowded Circle in the Square Theater where, according to a stage manager, ticket sales had spiked following Fun Home’s win for Best Musical. One of the theater attendees said she did not come to see the show just because it won the Tony, and she had bought tickets in advance. A conversation with the box office at the theater of ‘Curious Incident”, which is now the holder of the 2015 Best Play Tony, confirmed they also have sold more tickets since the awards; however, a family waiting to enter the theater assured me once again the Tony was not the reason they wanted to see the show. I returned to the Tony Shop, which was having a sale on all Tony branded merchandise in honor of its last day for the year. There were more customers than my first visit, possibly due to the limited time. They agreed that people seemed more hyped about the Tonys and theater in general than any specific victories.
    Interest in theater seems to increase during the springtime during the springtime, as shows get more publicity and attract tourists as well as regular theatergoers. Often, though, considering my experience with the theatergoers those two days, the Tony awards’ main focus seems to be getting people interested in theater in general, not just specific shows, and it seems to work. Theater is a fantastic medium that deserves more publicity, and the Tony season is when it can get some.
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