The 2020 Tony Awards, originally scheduled to air Sunday, June 7, on CBS, has been postponed due to the novel coronavirus.
“The health and safety of the Broadway community, artists and fans is of the utmost importance to u;” read a statement on Wednesday from Tony Award Productions.
“We will announce new dates and additional information once Broadway opens again. We are looking forward to celebrating Broadway and our industry when it is safe to do so.”
Like the entire entertainment industry, The Tony Awards have joined a growing list of cultural events postponed due to the pandemic.
When Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a temporary ban on gatherings over 500 people on March 12; all 41 Broadway theaters had to shut down with the hope of returning by April 12. Making it the longest hiatus for the Great White Way in history.
Sixteen high-profile plays and musicals were to open between March 15, the day Broadway first suspended performances, and April 27, the season’s eligibility cutoff date for the Tony Awards.
Still, insiders say it’s unlikely that Broadway will be back in business in just three weeks. Several shows that did not make it to their opening nights, including the plays Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Hangmen, have posted closing notices. And several others have pushed their dates into the fall, such as the musicals Caroline, or Change and Flying Over Sunset.