Five Carnegie Mellon Alumni Nominated for 11 Tony Awards

Five Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama alumni received a total of 11 Tony Award nominations this morning for their Broadway work behind the scenes. This marks the 11th consecutive year that at least one Carnegie Mellon graduate has received a nomination.

Producer Jamie deRoy, a 1967 Carnegie Mellon alumna, led the way with six nominations. Tootsie, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations, and Beetlejuice were nominated for Best Musical. Nominated for Best Play were The Ferryman, The Waverly Gallery, and Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus.

Costume designer Ann Roth, a 1953 alumna, earned two nominations for Best Costume Design of a Play for her work in To Kill a Mockingbird and Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus.

Sound designer Peter Hylenski, a 1997 alumnus, earned two nominations for Best Sound Design of a Musical for Beetlejuice and King Kong.

Lighting designers Peggy Eisenhauer, a 1983 alumna, and Jules Fisher, Class of 1960, were nominated for Best Lighting Design of a Play in Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus.

In addition to the nominees, Judith Light, a 1970 alumna and two-time Tony Award winner, will receive this year's Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her advocacy to end HIV/AIDS and her support for the LGBTQ+ community. Michael McElroy, a 1990 CMU graduate, will be awarded a Tony Honor for Excellence for founding Broadway Inspirational Voices, a professional choir of Broadway artists united to change lives through music and service.

"Every year, several of our alumni join the ranks of Broadway's best as Tony Award nominees, and we couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments," says CMU president Farnam Jahanian. "We are particularly pleased that members of the Carnegie Mellon community are consistently recognized for their work, illustrating our commitment to educating the next generation of entertainment industry talent across a wide array of professions within the field."

Carnegie Mellon alumni have won 47 Tony Awards. Last year, alumna and producer Jamie deRoy took home three Tony Awards, including Best Musical for The Band's Visit, Best Revival of a Play for Angels in America and Best Revival of a Musical for Once on This Island.

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 9, from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

During the show, Carnegie Mellon will present the fifth annual Excellence in Theatre Education Award, the first national honor to recognize K-12 theatre educators. The award recognizes a teacher who demonstrates monumental impact on the lives of drama students, while also embodying the highest standards of the profession. CMU is the exclusive higher education partner of the Tony Awards, and the two organizations presented the first award in 2015 as part of the collaboration.

CMU's School of Drama consistently ranks as one of the world's best drama schools and is the first degree-granting drama program in the US. The school is recognized as an international leader in arts and technology. Year after year, the School of Drama produces graduates who go on to do award-winning work, both on stage and behind the scenes.

"On behalf of the entire School of Drama, I extend my congratulations to the Tony Awards Class of 2019 Nominees," says Peter Cooke, head of the School of Drama. "We know the tremendous amount of preparation and hard work it takes to make your mark on Broadway, and we are extremely proud of all our graduates. To those who have been nominated, it's an additional nod to their expertise, diligence and dedication to their craft."