The Tony Awards committee explores options for 2019-2020 season ceremony

With the 2020 ceremony postponed, the administration committee explores options for how to honor the abbreviated 2019-2020 season.

The Tony Awards administration committee is exploring various options to honor the shortened 2019-2020 Broadway season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on June 7 but was postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 theatre shutdowns. 

While many awards ceremonies have gone virtual and honored abbreviated theatrical seasons, the Tony Awards has not announced a plan for how awards will be distributed for shows that opened during the 2019-2020 season, which concluded early on March 12 when theatre's shut down to slow the spread of coronavirus. Broadway theatres are currently offering refunds and cancellations through January 3, 2021 with not official opening date announced. 

The Hollywood Reporter outlined three scenarios the committee is exploring for the awards. The first option is to host a virtual Tonys ceremony and have the nominating committee select nominees based on the shows they were able to see before shutdown.

The next option is to combine the 2019-2020 awards and the 2020-2021 ceremony. However, there is still not reopening date set for Broadway or any guarantee that there will be a 2020-2021 season or the ability to have the ceremony next year.

The final option is to scrap the awards altogether, leaving several shows and performers without the opportunity to receive recognition for their work. This would mark the first time in 74 years that the Tony Awards did not honor a Broadway season.