Tony season officially kicked off April 30 with Tony winners Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry announcing this year's Tony nominations. Read on below to learn how the 2024 Tony nominees in the play categories heard the news, and what it's like to have their work recognized by the Tony Awards.
Keep checking this page for further updates as they come in. (Click here to read reactions from nominees in the musical categories.)
Paula Vogel, Best Play, Mother Play
“Thanks to the brilliance of Tina Landau’s direction, Mother Play (with only three weeks of rehearsal) has opened cold on Broadway with Tony nominations for the play and the actors. My colleagues gave me a tremendous gift and I am grateful. I am grateful to be in the category with these wonderful writers.”
Jessica Lange, Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, Mother Play.
“I am so honored to be nominated amongst such wonderful talent, including my dear friend Sarah [Paulson]. Creating Phyllis alongside the incomparable Paula Vogel and bringing this new play to life each night is thrilling. Nothing you see on stage would be possible without Tina’s vision, our incredible production team, the entire cast, and crew, and of course, the wonderful Jim [Parsons] and Celia [Keenan-Bolger]. What a joy it is to share the stage with them every night and I am elated that their work has been recognized. I am grateful to the Broadway community for this esteemed nomination.”
Jim Parsons, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, Mother Play
"I'm very, very happy. I'm very excited. You know, I've been doing theatre all my life, so this is completely unique and different in some way than any other acknowledgement. These are the Tonys. It's really special, maybe even more special than I should allow it to be. It means something to me in a different way. It is such a personal play [for Paula Vogel]. It feels blessed, and in some way, it feels like I'm not alone in this process."
Sarah Pidgeon, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, Stereophonic
“Today is so surreal. To be nominated alongside such talented artists is an honor and to see Stereophonic receive so much recognition—I am incredibly grateful. There was 10 years of work put into this show before I joined, and since then I’ve seen people work tirelessly and pour their whole selves into this story. I’m so lucky to get to do it again tonight. Thank you to the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. When we began working on the show, David Adjmi told me that Diana is just so happy to be in the studio working alongside her band and I share that feeling every night walking into the Golden Theatre.”
Tom Pecinka, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, Stereophonic
“I am so grateful for this nomination and for the historic recognition of our entire show. As a kid from Long Island who took the train in to see Broadway shows from 7 years old this is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. To be nominated alongside my Stereophonic cast mates, Jim Parsons and my old friend Corey Stoll is just the cherry on top.”
Jocelyn Bioh, Best Play, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
"I've been really thinking hard about the difference between validation and recognition. This nomination, all of these nominations, the five nominations that we have, it's about recognition. It's about celebrating who we are, what we bring to the American theatre, and the kind of history we can make when you just give us an opportunity, and a platform, and a chance to create new, fresh, innovative work that has never been seen on Broadway before. That deserves recognition. And I'm just really honored that they decided to recognize the play in this way."
Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director of Manhattan Theatre Club, Producer, Best Play, Jaja's African Hair Braiding, Mary Jane & Prayer for the French Republic
"I have to say, this is one of the best days of my life. You know, this is pretty great, right? Three for three. Everybody at the Manhattan Theatre Club is so high. We're so grateful to all these amazing artists starting with these three great playwrights, and three very different plays. The audiences who have really come and cheered every night. I mean, every night, we've had an ovation at the Friedman Theatre. It's been quite a season. It's just reaffirmed how much live theatre can be really fun, and really exciting. It's just enough for all of us in New York."
Kenny Leon, Best Director of a Play, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
"I’m just so thankful this morning for people like Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, and we got a chance to present that work to a modern audience. I’m over the moon."
Juliana Canfield, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, Stereophonic
"I was so scared to audition for this play. But I think in deciding to audition for it and doing it, I was so happy rehearsing the play at Playwrights [Horizon Off-Broadway]. I remember thinking during rehearsal that the play, the success of the play was the joy of the rehearsal process. And so it was this total lovely surprise when it was so well-received at Playwrights. And then we moved to Broadway, and this is also a surprise. I never thought this far ahead, or in this direction, when I finally signed on to do it. It's a very surprising, lovely turn of events."
Jeremy Strong, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, An Enemy of the People
“I am profoundly grateful to the Tony committee for today’s nomination and for their recognition of our work on this play. Reuniting with Sam [Gold] and Amy [Herzog] has been a deeply meaningful experience and it is a privilege to give Ibsen’s powerful and timely play to a modern audience. The play and Stockman’s message—of the importance of valuing the truth, of the sanctity of human life, of the myriad ways in which we are complicit and must hold ourselves accountable—speaks more urgently than perhaps ever and it is an honor to fight for those convictions on our stage.”
Amy Herzog, Best Revival of a Play, An Enemy of the People
“I'm thrilled to be nominated for two plays I care so deeply about—An Enemy of the People and Mary Jane. I salute my extraordinary leading actors, Tony nominees Jeremy Strong and Rachel McAdams, for carrying the hell out of these plays eight times a week. I'm indebted to my wonderful directors, Sam Gold and Anne Kauffman, and the exquisite ensembles of both shows. In the new play category, I'm elated to be one of three women nominated—my research doesn't go that far back, but it must be deeply uncommon if not unprecedented for women playwrights to constitute the majority of new play nominees—congrats to Jocelyn [Bioh] and Paula [Vogel]! And congratulations to all my fellow nominees, especially my current and past collaborators and all the other writers I've known, admired, studied with, been in writers' groups with, etc. I love seeing my generation of writers recognized for the theatre's highest honors this year. Thank you to the brave producers of both shows, American Theater Wing, Broadway League, and indefatigable nominators!”
Michael Stuhlbarg, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, Patriots
"Thank you to the Tony nominators for this tremendous honor. It has been an absolute privilege to be back on Broadway with the extraordinary company and creative team of Patriots, and you honor us all in remembering us with this today. Thank you!"
Betsy Aidem, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, Prayer for the French Republic
“Getting to do Josh Harmon’s beautiful play was the prize. Working with David Cromer and the most wonderful cast was the prize. To be occupying the very thin space between extremely late bloomer and posthumous is a most unexpected thrill.”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, Mother Play
"The fact that this was written for me, I've never had that experience before on a Broadway show. I just feel so lucky not just to be in a Paula Vogel play, but to be in a Paula Vogel play that was written with me in mind that is so near and dear to her life and her heart. It is especially special."
Derek McLane, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
“I was absolutely thrilled to learn of this nomination. Purlie Victorious was such a special experience. Working with director Kenny Leon and the other designers and the incredible cast was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Corey Stoll, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, Appropriate
“From the first table read of Appropriate, I was blown away by the incredible cast Lila Neugebauer assembled. I knew I was incredibly lucky to be in such a remarkable group. And I’m humbled to be recognized in my category along with this extraordinary group of actors.”
David Adjmi, Best Play, Stereophonic
"Thank you to the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing for this extraordinary honor. I cannot stress enough how incredible it feels to be nominated alongside some of the best American playwrights working today. When I started work on Stereophonic eleven years ago, I didn’t think it would end up on Broadway; I didn’t know if it would even be produced. I made extraordinary demands on my cast, my director, my creative team, my composer, and pretty much everyone involved—and these people not only met the very high bar I set, but they also surpassed it. Will [Butler], Daniel [Aukin], and I spent over a decade working on this play without knowing if it would ever see the light of day. So, to experience this trajectory is, quite frankly, completely shocking. We all worked so hard to try and make a piece with real integrity and zero compromises—and I believe that is what we did. To be recognized in this way is a validation not only of our work, but of the many artists working in the trenches and taking real risks to help build a vital theatre culture in this country."
Daniel Aukin, Best Direction of a Play, Stereophonic
"David Adjmi told me he had an idea for a play in 2014. It was a really good idea. Would I direct it if he wrote it? We knew we were onto something but dared not imagine that 10 years later we would be at the Golden Theatre. Well, we are. And we love it. So thrilled for our whole company that this labor of passion is enjoying this recognition."
Will Brill, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, Stereophonic
"I set my alarm for 9:55 AM. I took a Trazodone. I was like, 'I just want to sleep through it. I don't want to know.' There's so much talk. I feel so nervous. And then of course, I woke up, like, six times and then I watched it. When I saw my name, I was dumbfounded. I was like, 'Whoa, that's so cool.' And then I saw Eli [Gelb]'s name, and I was like, 'Oh, yeah. Wow!' And then I saw [Tom] Pecinka's name. And I just I started brimming up with tears. And then I saw Sarah [Pidgeon] and Juliana [Canfield's] name, and I got very, very emotional. It feels very lucky and very crazy that so many of us get to be celebrated in this way. I feel really nice."
Will Butler, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre & Best Orchestrations, Stereophonic
"I feel great. What can I say? It's been a very lovely morning. I knew people liked it, and I hoped to get one. But I also recognize that there's a lot of great musicals. It's not a musical, but it's so lovely to have the work recognized. I had no expectation. The orchestrations [nomination] is so moving also. To have Justin Craig's work be recognized is really moving to me. It's lovely."
Justin Craig, Best Orchestrations, Stereophonic
"Wow, what a moment. I'm so honored and thrilled to be recognized in the orchestrations category alongside Will Butler. This play and these songs have meant so much to me over the years. And I'm so proud of this band and what they've accomplished. Building this with them has been one of the most exciting collaborations of my life."
Eli Gelb, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, Stereophonic
"David Adjmi has given every artist involved with this play, every audience member, and theatre as we know it, an extraordinary gift. He wrote a sort of impossible play, and he did it so perfectly that everyone who encountered it felt compelled and determined to devote ourselves to its reality with every ounce of artistry and humanity available to us. I am so grateful and proud to be a part of that, with all of these wonderfully gifted, and giving, people. I hope that our success as a team serves as an inspiration to prioritize our humanity in all endeavors, and to invest in and take risks on art and artists of integrity."
David Zinn, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Jaja's African Hair Braiding
"When you're making the model of a set for the first production of a play ever, you just want those pieces of cardboard and pins and paint and glue to serve the story as best as it can—it’s impossible to look beyond that. It was honor enough just to be allowed to be in the room with all these artists while we created Jaja, so for it to receive the love it has this week is a thrill, and a reflection not only of Jocelyn [Bioh]'s beautiful play but of Whitney [White]'s amazing work assembling our company of brilliant actors and the designers who brought the world of Jaja's African Hair Braiding to life. It's a love letter to those women, and to New York. And it's humbling to be honored for that work."
Amith Chandrashaker, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Prayer for the French Republic
“It’s an honor to be recognized for my work on Josh’s wonderful play. To work with David Cromer, Josh Harmon, the design team, the cast, and the team at [Manhattan Theatre Club] has been a highlight of my career. I look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the Prayer team and the wonderful work of my fellow nominees.”
Joshua Harmon, Best Play, Prayer for the French Republic
"I’m honored to be nominated for a Tony Award. I didn’t hear them announce my play, because as my category was announced, my three year old screamed out, 'I NEED MORE WATER.' But this is a beautiful way to celebrate what has been nearly a decade of work on this play. So many people supported me over that time, and I’m thinking of them all today. And don’t worry, I got my son more water."
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Best Revival of a Play, Appropriate
"I feel insane, it feels insane that I'm in a category with Amy/Ibson and Ossie Davis. I'm super excited for [director] Lila [Neugebauer]. I'm super excited for Sarah [Paulson], for Corey [Stoll]. I mean, all of our designers got nominated. This is the best. I respect and love these artists so much. We had an amazing time working together and making this thing together. It's just been such a special, enchanted experience. And for this to be really my first time on the Broadway, I'm a little bit speechless."
Lila Neugebauer, Best Direction of a Play, Appropriate
"I was on the subway, and I got a text from my sister that said, 'Did you know you were going to be nominated for a Tony Award?' And I texted back, 'No, not until now.' So that is how I found out. I have been so immersed in the work itself, that I did not dare to think too far past getting the work into the world. I have felt wildly, wildly grateful for all of the writers, actors, and designers who I have gotten to make work with this season. I'm feeling indebted to all of them, and really moved by all of the collaborations that I've had the good fortune to be a part of this year."
Seaview, Patrick Catullo & Plan B, Producers, Best Revival of a Play, An Enemy of the People
“We are extremely honored that Amy Herzog’s engaging, challenging and prescient adaptation of An Enemy of the People has been recognized by the Tony Nominating Committee. Amy and Sam Gold's new approach to this revival has sparked discourse from the audience and the community that has extended even beyond the four walls of our theater. Tony nominee Jeremy Strong, our entire company of incredible actors, and our extraordinary design team have brought new life to a play that asks us how to move forward when we are presented with the harsh realities of today’s society. We are so proud to have brought this production into this incredible season on Broadway.”
Whitney White, Best Direction of a Play, Jaja's African Hair Braiding
"It's really been a wonderful outpouring of support for the work in the show. It was an honor to work on this story. It is about Black women, and it's about immigrants. It's about the many kinds of people that really contribute to the society we live in. So it's been incredibly humbling, but also encouraging to see the work recognized. I think by any standard, this is a breakout show. It was a world premiere, never done anywhere. That never happens in Broadway, that stories get to premiere cold like that. To have it all seen means a lot. It means, again, you can trust Black women, you can bank on Black stories. This was helmed by Jocelyn and myself. We're both mothers, and we did it. We did the work. It's mostly just exciting, because it's a reminder that audiences are excited for new things, and new stories. And I hope that we all can keep working on more stories like this. It's really encouraging. It gives me the fuel to keep going."
Anne Kauffman, Best Direction of a Play, Mary Jane
“I was out running with my dog pretending that today was not THAT day. Listening to a podcast that I wasn’t able to truly focus on when the news came in. I immediately went numb and heard a ringing in my ears but everything also went super quiet. I know that doesn’t make sense but I swear that’s what happened. I’m over the MOON that this play is getting the kind of recognition that will alert and draw more people to it."
Kara Young, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
"Wow, a huge thank you to the American Theatre Wing! What an incredible honor to find myself nominated among such immensely talented women. Today, it's as if Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are here, their spirits lifting us all. Iconic figures, revolutionary visionaries, that have influenced the cultural and political landscape of America.
"Today, 63 years later, Purlie Victorious embarks on its mission to fulfill Ossie's vision, to heal us. This nomination feels like a profound homage to Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee and the revolutionary work they've bestowed upon the tapestry of American theatre.
"Ossie crafted a revelatory work of art that fearlessly reveals the absurdities of our social and racial structures, laying bare the very bones of racism in America. Purlie Victorious remains a timeless masterpiece because, sadly, many of the ideologies it challenges still persist today. It's a potent reminder that we must never forget our history. Diving into this play alongside our extraordinary cast, crew, and creative team has been nothing short of an honor. Congratulations to each and every one of you! Here's to the power of theatre to inspire change and challenge the status quo.”
Rachel McAdams, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, Mary Jane
“Playing Mary Jane has been the role of a lifetime and I am so honored to bring her story to the stage every day. I am so grateful to Amy and Anne and the entire cast and crew for trusting me in this process and to be embraced by the theatre community is such a humbling experience. Thank you Thank you Thank you!”
