2026 Tony Nominees: The Gatekeepers Revealed

The selection process for the 2026 Tony Awards is underway, with a diverse group of theater professionals assembled to determine the nominees. This year’s Nominating Committee boasts a total of 64 members, including 21 new additions, representing a wide spectrum of theatrical disciplines and backgrounds.

Notable New Members

The committee welcomes several prominent figures from the Broadway community, including:

• Victoria Clark: A Tony Award-winning actress and director.
• BD Wong: Also a Tony Award winner, celebrated for his work in plays like M. Butterfly.
• Jocelyn Bioh: A playwright nominated for a Tony Award in 2024 for Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.
• Jordan E. Cooper: A playwright, actor, director, and producer.
• Joshua Harmon: A playwright also nominated in 2024 for Prayer for the French Republic.
• L Morgan Lee: A Tony nominee known for their performance in A Strange Loop.

Diversity of Experience

The Tony Administration Committee emphasizes inclusivity when selecting nominators, inviting individuals with professional or educational ties to the theater from various disciplines. This year’s committee includes:

• Sound designers
• Costume designers
• Choreographers
• A former theater critic
• A retired general manager
• Theater educators
• Creative directors
• Executive producers
• Artistic directors
• Music directors
• And more.

The Nomination Process

Each member of the Nominating Committee serves a three-year term, which doesn’t necessarily need to be consecutive. The rules and regulations governing the Tony Awards stipulate that the committee must have a minimum of 15 members and a maximum of 65.

A critical requirement for nominators is their commitment to seeing every eligible production during the Broadway season. To ensure impartiality, nominators must recuse themselves if they cannot attend all eligible shows, miss a performance by an eligible actor or any element of a production, or if they are involved in any capacity with an eligible production.

Following the eligibility period, which concludes in late April, the committee gathers to cast their ballots for the nominees. They are allowed a maximum of two hours for an open discussion about the season before submitting their secret ballots.

The Season Ahead

The nominators face the challenge of evaluating a season filled with highly anticipated productions. The upcoming months promise a range of exciting shows, including:

• Musical revivals such as Chess and Ragtime.
• Pulitzer finalist plays like Marjorie Prime and Becky Shaw.

Several well-known actors will also be returning to the Broadway stage:

• Laurie Metcalf in Little Bear Ridge Road.
• Kristen Chenoweth in a musical adaptation of Lauren Greenfield’s documentary, The Queen of Versailles.
• Mark Strong and Lesley Manville in a reimagining of Oedipus.
• Keanu Reeves will be making his Broadway debut in Jamie Lloyd’s Waiting for Godot, alongside Bill & Ted co-star Alex Winter.

Complete List of Nominators

Here is the complete list of individuals who will be shaping the 2026 Tony Award nominations. New committee members are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• Bob Balaban – Actor / Producer / Director / Writer
• Dani Barlow – Theatre Administrator
• Mark Benett – Sound Designer*
• Sarah Benson – Director
• Rob Berman – Music Director*
• Jocelyn Bioh – Playwright*
• Jeremy Blocker – Creative Director / Executive Producer for Audible Theater*
• Rick Boynton – Creative Producer, Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Brian Harlan Brooks – Director / Choreographer / DEI Director
• Dr. Jamie Cacciola-Price – Theatre Educator / Director
• Kevin Cahoon – Actor / Director
• Jade King Carroll – Director / Producing Artistic Director, Chautauqua Theater Company*
• Adam Chanler-Berat – Actor / Playwright
• Victoria Clark – Actor / Director / Educator
• Jordan E. Cooper – Playwright / Actor / Director / Producer
• Will Davis – Choreographer / Director*
• Ty Defoe – Interdisciplinary Artists / Writer / Storyteller
• Andy Einhorn – Music Supervisor / Conductor
• Dan Foster – Actor / Director / Producer
• Donald P. Gagnon, Ph.D. – Theatre Arts Professor / Dramaturg
• Deeksha Gaur – Executive Director, Theatre Development Fund
• Tiffani Gavin – Executive Director, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center*
• Daniel Goldstein – Director / Writer*
• Linda Goodrich – Director / Choreographer
• Joshua Harmon – Playwright*
• Miranda Haymon – Director
• Ricky Hinds – Associate Director / Choreographer*
• Timothy Huang – Composer / Lyricist / Librettist*
• James Ijames – Playwright / Director / Educator
• Anna K. Jacobs – Composer / Lyricist / Librettist*
• Jessica Jahn – Costume Designer*
• Christine Toy Johnson – Playwright / Actor / Director
• Rosalie Joseph – Casting Director
• Rod Kaats – Producer / Director
• Peter Kaczorowski – Lighting Designer*
• Glen Kelly – Amanuensis / Composer*
• Michael Korie – Librettist / Lyricist
• L Morgan Lee – Actor*
• Peter Marks – Former Chief Theatre Critic, Washington Post
• Lisa McNulty – Producing Artistic Director WP Theater
• Danny Mefford – Choreographer*
• Ira Mont – Production Stage Manager
• Jacqueline Diane Moscou – Actor / Director
• Helen Park – Composer / Lyricist
• Jessica Paz – Sound Designer
• Georgina Pazcoguin – Actress / Producer / Diversity Advocate
• Karen Perry – Costume Designer
• Jill Rafson – Producing Artist Director, Classic Stage Co.
• T. Oliver Reid – Actor / Director / Choreographer / Activist / Musical Theater Professor at Rider University
• Liam Robinson – Composer / Arranger / Music Supervisor
• Carole Rothman – Co-Founder and Former Artistic Director, Second Stage Theater
• Rafael Sánchez – Executive Artistic Director, Repertorio Español*
• Florie Seery – Associate Dean / Managing Director, David Geffen School of Drama / Yale Repertory Theatre
• Walt Spangler – Scenic Designer
• Mark Stanley – Lighting Designer
• Susan Soon He Stanton – Playwright / Television Writer / Screenwriter
• Jeffrey Sweet – Playwright / Librettist*
• Jason Tam – Actor
• Cori Thomas – Playwright / Actor
• Alexandria Wailes – Actor / Director / Choreographer
• Charlotte Wilcox – Retired General Manager*
• Patricia Wilcox – Choreographer
• BD Wong – Actor / Director / Playwright / Author*
• David C. Woolard – Costume Designer