The Tony Administration Committee met for the first time this season on November 12th. They discussed eligibility for the 2015/2016 season, as it pertained to the following productions: An Act of God, Amazing Grace, Hamilton, Spring Awakening, Old Times, Fool for Love, The Gin Game, Sylvia, Dames at Sea, and Therese Raquin.
The following determinations were made:
Lin Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., and Phillipa Soo will all be considered eligible under Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Musical for their respective performances in Hamilton.
Austin P. Mackenzie and Sandra Mae Frank will be considered eligible under Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Musical for their respective performances in Spring Awakening. (Note: Frank portrays Wendla, while Katie Boeck provides her singing voice).
Dane Laffrey and Lucy Mackinnon will be considered jointly eligible for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Spring Awakening. Laffrey is credited as Scenic Designer while Mackinnon is Projections Designer.
Sam Rockwell and Nina Arianda will be considered eligible under Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Play for their respective performances in Fool for Love (it is standard practice for MTC to bill all of their actors below the title in alphabetical order).
Robert Sella and Julie White will be considered eligible under Best Featured Actor/Actress for their respective performances in Sylvia.
Cary Tedder and Eloise Kropp will be considered eligible under Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Musical for their respective performances in Dames at Sea.
Gabriel Ebert and Judith Light will be considered eligible under Best Featured Actor/Actress for their respective performances in Therese Raquin.
No special distinction was made regarding Therese Raquin's prior incarnations, so this new adaptation is eligible under Best Play per Tony Awards rules.
All other eligibility rulings were consistent with opening night billing.
The biggest ruling outcomes center around Hamilton and Spring Awakening. For the latter, there was some speculation over joint nominations for characters portrayed by both a hearing and non-hearing actor (namely, Wendla and Moritz). But per the Tony rulings, each actor will be eligible separately.
As for Hamilton, I always assumed Odom Jr. would fall under lead. It is actually for the show's benefit, since they now have an additional spot open for the talented featured cast. For those of you worrying about the talented Mr. Odom Jr.'s chances: I think he can handily take down his co-star Miranda (they have two other opportunities to reward him in Score and Book). It's Danny Burstein who will pose the real threat for Best Actor.
