Why are the Tony Awards called the Tonys?

They may not have as broad an audience as the Grammys or the Oscars, but the Tony Awards are just as important to the theater community and have their own rich history.

First presented in 1947, the Tony Awards, or Tonys, were created to honor one of the founders of the American Theatre Wing.

Antoinette Perry was born in 1888 and died in 1946. She first appeared on stage in New York at the age of 18 but “retired” to marry shortly after. Following her husband’s death, she returned to the theater and branched out from simply acting to directing and producing as well. One of her plays, Harvey, even won a Pulitzer Prize.

During the Second World War, Perry helped found and served as chairwoman of the American Theatre Wing. The institute committed itself to providing service and entertainment to military service members and their families throughout the United States.

The Wing also served as a fundraising mechanism for the military. It produced a movie entitled The Stage Door Canteen, which raised over $75,000 for the military (which was quite a bit of money in those days). This went along with a radio show by the same name which entertained workers and raised money. It also set up so-called canteens in London and Paris to entertain the troops in the field.

After the War, the American Theatre Wing put its resources to use improving the welfare of theatre itself. It also founded the American Theatre Wing Professional School. This was initially designed to provide veterans from the War educational opportunity, but expanded beyond that. Many of the most notable names in theater from that time, including James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury and Christopher Plummer studied there before it closed in 1965.

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Perry died of a heart attack in 1946. Shortly after her death Brock Pemberton, a producer and director, suggested creating an award in her honor. The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre was first presented in 1947. As that is a bit of a mouthful, Pemberton called the award a Tony during the first presentation. The name stuck, and the Tony Awards have been presented ever since.