In the Spotlight
Carnegie Mellon Alumni To Co-host, Present and Perform at the Tony Awards
By Abby Simmons
Media Inquiries- Marketing & Communications
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- College of Fine Arts
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Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama alumni will take center stage at the 72nd Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 10. The live CBS broadcast, which honors the best on Broadway, will air at 8 p.m. ET from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
"We are extraordinarily proud of our alumni and look forward to watching their contributions to 'Broadway's biggest night.' In addition to our six alumni nominated for a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards, Carnegie Mellon talent will shine as our alumni co-host, present and perform at the Tony Awards," said Peter Cooke, head of the School of Drama.
Alumnus Josh Groban will co-host the program with Sara Bareilles. Groban earned a Tony nomination in 2017 for Best Performance by an Actor in a leading role for his portrayal of Pierre in "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812."
Alumna Ming-Na Wen, who currently stars in the ABC action series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," will introduce the 2018 Excellence in Theatre Education Award winner Melody Herzfeld, drama teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School of Parkland, Florida, during the telecast.
CMU is the first, exclusive higher education partner of the Tony Awards. Through this partnership, CMU and the Tony Awards created the Excellence in Theatre Education Award to recognize a K-12 theatre educator in the U.S. who has demonstrated monumental impact on the lives of students and who embodies the highest standards of the profession. Herzfeld is the fourth recipient of the annual award.
In addition to Wen, alumni Matt Bomer, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Zachary Quinto are among this year's Tony Award presenters. Odom took home a 2016 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a leading role for his performance as Aaron Burr in "Hamilton." This May, he co-hosted the Tony Award nominations announcement with Katharine McPhee. Bomer and Quinto are co-starring in a limited Broadway engagement of "The Boys in the Band" with Jim Parsons and Andrew Rannells. Alumni expected to perform during the Tony Awards include nominee Grey Henson and the cast of "Mean Girls," and Manu Narayan and the cast of "My Fair Lady."
Carnegie Mellon alumni have won 44 Tony Awards. CMU's School of Drama consistently ranks as one of the world's best drama schools and 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.
