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Watch the Tonys Sunday night!

posted by Chad Jones on Sat, Jun 12, 2010
in Events , News , Our shows

Win or lose, awards shows can be an awful lot of fun, especially when you know some of the nominees. That's what makes this year's Tony Awards more exciting than usual. Berkeley Rep audiences are well acquainted with a few of the major players whose names you'll hear on Sunday's broadcast (8pm, CBS).

Green Day's American Idiot, the thrilling rock opera that made its world premiere in Berkeley before bursting onto Broadway, is up for three Tony Awards including Best Musical. In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), the comedy Berkeley Rep commissioned from Sarah Ruhl that became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and marked the Broadway debut of Associate Artistic Director Les Waters, also received three nominations including Best Play.

Here's a complete rundown of our nominations:

• Best Musical: American Idiot
• Best Play: In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)
• Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play: Maria Dizzia for In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)
• Best Scenic Design of a Musical: Christine Jones for American Idiot
• Best Lighting Design of a Musical: Kevin Adams for American Idiot
• Best Costume Design of a Play: David Zinn for In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)

"Local folks have long known that Berkeley Rep is devoted to developing adventurous new work," remarks Tony Taccone, the Theatre's artistic director. "We are pleased that a much wider audience has had an opportunity to see and appreciate our work in the last several years, and naturally we're honored to see these shows nominated for so many prestigious awards. We are grateful for the trust placed in us by the many partners who helped bring American Idiot and In the Next Room to Broadway."

Green Day will perform, as will the cast of American Idiot.

Of course we'll be rooting for Berkeley Rep's nominees, but with the Tony Awards, everybody wins. This is, after all, the only national exposure given to American theatre by a major network. So tune in and show your support — not just for Berkeley Rep but for all the great theatre artists working on stages across the country.

Visit the official Tony Awards website.