Let’s talk drama!
Just days before the Tony Awards ceremony, there’s uproar in the theater world after some of Broadway’s most prominent press members learned they wouldn’t be invited to the show’s red carpet due to a lack of space.
Julie James, program director for SiriusXM’s On Broadway, tweeted, “As a 15-year veteran of the awards show coverage that fans across the country count on @sxmOnBroadway, and after working tirelessly all season, I’m disheartened, disappointed and even insulted. #thisisNOTBroadway.”
She added, “This is especially heartbreaking for those of us who have worked so hard to maintain the spirit of #Broadway & the #TonyAwards through the pandemic shutdown and (ongoing) recovery. We were there for them and now we’re locked out.”
I’ve heard that well-known reporters like Richard Rich of Broadway World and David Gordon of TheatreMania were also not selected.
Lucy Fierberg, editor in chief of Broadway News, posted that she had not been given access.
Kobi Cassell of the relatively new pub The Theatrely, with the help of an outside PR team, penned an open letter to the Tony Awards, which is run by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League.
“We were notified last week that space is limited due to the location of this year’s ceremony and that there will be no seats for us on the carpet,” Cassell wrote. “Why celebrate a season celebrating Broadway’s biggest year in recent memory on the tiniest carpet? It is disappointing, to say the least, to not invite those who work so hard throughout the year and are some of our most loyal supporters to the industry’s biggest night.”
The letter also points out that while large mainstream media outlets like E! News are also involved, many of them are only interested in A-list talent.
“Artists, designers and theatre-focused actors often go unnoticed,” the letter reads, “and as theatre operators we want to shine a spotlight on these people and give credit where credit is due.”
Broadway officials said they understand why people are frustrated.
“Actors, choreographers, directors, writers, set designers, etc. work tirelessly all year to get this recognition, and it’s the theater press who interviews them and writes about them,” the source says. “It’s the biggest night of their careers. They should make room for the celebrity press and the Broadway press.”
A Tony Awards representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
