The 2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award will go to the Dallas Theater Center, a LORT member theatre led by Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty and Managing Director Jeff Woodward. The award will be presented to the company at the 71st annual ceremony on June 11 at Radio City Music Hall.
“The Tony Award is one of the most coveted honors in the American theater, and receiving it is a cause for great celebration throughout Dallas,” Moriarty said in a statement. “This award is in recognition of DTC’s nearly sixty years of achievement. It’s a testament to the artistry of the theater’s previous artistic directors, Paul Baker, Adrian Hall, Ken Bryant and Richard Hamburger. It’s an honor for the many talented artists whose work has graced our stages. It’s an acknowledgement of the deep relationship between DTC and our community here in North Texas, for whom we produce plays that inspire meaningful conversations. It’s a tribute to the diversity of artists who seek to create art that mirrors the glorious diversity of our community. And it’s a validation of our city’s shared belief that a great city requires great art to bring us together, ask vital questions and inspire us to build a more perfect union.”
“This is a unique Tony Award because it does not honor a single play, performance, director, or design, it honors a body of work over a number of years,” added Woodward. “This award honors our terrific and talented staff and our dedicated board of trustees led by Julie Hersh and Jeff Bragalone. It honors our adventurous audience, especially our subscribers. It honors the strong and consistent support we receive from our donors, and it honors the great city of Dallas.”
“Arts education is one of the most vital programs we can offer today’s youth, and as it continues to be threatened, theatres around the country are stepping in to fill the voids that the cuts have created. We are proud of the community of theatre, and DTC, that are stepping in to provide this vital form of education,” Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said.
DTC was founded in 1959 and offers a mix of new plays, classics, musicals, and world premieres. They serve an audience of over 100,000 North Texas residents every year. This season, the company launched Public Works Dallas, a community engagement initiative designed to blur the lines between professional artists and community members. DTC is also committed to education, as highlighted by their Project Discovery program, which allows over 265,000 students and teachers to experience and study professional theatre.
Nominations for the 2017 Tony Awards will be announced May 2. Tony and Oscar winner Kevin Spacey is set to host this year's ceremony. For more information, visit TonyAwards.com.
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