Tony Administration Committee Makes Its Second Ruling for the 2010-2011 Season

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met for a second time during the 2010-2011 theater season to consider the eligibility of six Broadway shows: Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, The Pee-wee Herman Show, The Merchant of Venice, Elf, A Free Man of Color and The Importance of Being Earnest. 

The committee has determined that Lily Rabe, who plays Portia opposite Al Pacino’s Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, will be considered eligible in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.

Paul Reubens and Jeffrey Wright will be considered eligible in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for their performances in The Pee-wee Herman Show and A Free Man of Color, respectively. Also eligible in this category are The Importance of Being Earnest’s Santino Fontana and David Furr.

Elf star, Sebastian Arcelus, will be considered eligible in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

All other decisions were consistent with the opening night credits. As previously reported the committee (Emanuel Azenberg, Roger Berlind, Ted Chapin, Bill Craver, Dasha Epstein, Cecilia Friederichs, Philip Getter, Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, Doug Leeds, Paul Libin, Margo Lion, Jo Sullivan Loesser, Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, James M. Nederlander, Enid Nemy, Laura Penn, Michael Price, Charlotte St. Martin, Ralph Sevush, Howard Sherman, Philip Smith and David Stone) met for the first time on December 9, and will meet a total of four times throughout the 2010-2011 season to decide on eligibility.

The Tony ceremony will be broadcast live from the Beacon Theatre on June 12, 2011.