10th Tony Awards explained

10th Tony Awards
Date:	April 1, 1956
Location:	Plaza Hotel New York City
Host:	Jack Carter
Network:	DuMont Television Network
Previous:	9th
Main:	Tony Awards
Next:	11th

The 10th Annual Tony Awards took place at the Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom on April 1, 1956. The Master of Ceremonies was Jack Carter.

Ceremony

The presenter was Helen Hayes, who was President of the American Theatre Wing, and several of the nominees. Jack Carter was host for the first part of the ceremony, and Helen Hayes hosted the second part. More than 500 people attended the dinner dance.^[1]

For the first time, the ceremony was broadcast on television, on the DuMont Channel 5 in New York City, in an effort to create "wider public interest in Broadway's most important award-giving ceremony". Also for the first time, the nominees were announced ahead of the ceremony.^[2]

Music for the dinner dance was by Meyer Davis and his Orchestra.

Winners and nominees

Sources:Infoplease;^[3] BroadwayWorld^[4]

Best Play	Best Musical
The Diary of Anne Frank – Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett Bus Stop – William Inge Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Tennessee Williams The Chalk Garden – Enid Bagnold Tiger at the Gates – Jean Giraudoux with English version by Christopher Fry	Damn Yankees Pipe Dream
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Paul Muni – Inherit the Wind as Henry Drummond Ben Gazzara – A Hatful of Rain as Johnny Pope Boris Karloff – The Lark as Pierre Cauchon Michael Redgrave – Tiger at the Gates as Hector Edward G. Robinson – Middle of the Night as The Manufacturer	Julie Harris – The Lark as Joan of Arc Barbara Bel Geddes – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as Maggie Pollitt Gladys Cooper – The Chalk Garden as Mrs. St. Maugham Ruth Gordon – The Matchmaker as Dolly Gallagher Levi Siobhán McKenna – The Chalk Garden as Miss Madrigal Susan Strasberg – The Diary of Anne Frank as Anne Frank
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Ray Walston – Damn Yankees as Mr. Applegate Stephen Douglass – Damn Yankees as Joe Hardy William Johnson – Pipe Dream as Doc	Gwen Verdon – Damn Yankees as Lola Carol Channing – The Vamp as Flora Weems Nancy Walker – Phoenix '55 as Various Characters
Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Play	Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Play
Ed Begley – Inherit the Wind as Matthew Harrison Brady Anthony Franciosa – A Hatful of Rain as Polo Pope Andy Griffith – No Time for Sergeants as Will Stockdale Anthony Quayle – Tamburlaine the Great as Tamburlaine Fritz Weaver – The Chalk Garden as Maitland	Una Merkel – The Ponder Heart as Edna Earle Ponder Diane Cilento – Tiger at the Gates as Helen of Troy Anne Jackson – Middle of the Night as The Daughter Elaine Stritch – Bus Stop as Grace Hoylard
Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical	Best Performance by a Supporting or Featured Actress in a Musical
Russ Brown – Damn Yankees as Benny Van Buren Mike Kellin – Pipe Dream as Hazel Will Mahoney – Finian's Rainbow as Finian McLonergan Scott Merrill – The Threepenny Opera as Macheath	Lotte Lenya – The Threepenny Opera as Jenny Rae Allen – Damn Yankees as Gloria Thorpe Pat Carroll – Catch a Star	as Various Characters Judy Tyler – Pipe Dream as Suzy
Best Director	Best Choreography
Tyrone Guthrie – The Matchmaker Joseph Anthony – The Lark Harold Clurman – Bus Stop / Pipe Dream / Tiger at the Gates Tyrone Guthrie – The Matchmaker / Six Characters in Search of an Author / Tamburlaine the Great Garson Kanin – The Diary of Anne Frank Elia Kazan – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Albert Marre – The Chalk Garden Herman Shumlin – Inherit the Wind	Bob Fosse – Damn Yankees Robert Alton – The Vamp Boris Runanin – Phoenix '55 / Pipe Dream Anna Sokolow – Red Roses for Me
Best Scenic Design	Best Costume Design
Peter Larkin – Inherit the Wind / No Time for Sergeants Boris Aronson – The Diary of Anne Frank / Bus Stop / Once Upon a Tailor / A View from the Bridge Ben Edwards – The Honeys / The Ponder Heart / Someone Waiting Jo Mielziner - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof / The Lark / Middle of the Night / Pipe Dream Raymond Sovey – The Great Sebastians	Alvin Colt – Pipe Dream Alvin Colt – The Lark / Phoenix '55 / Pipe Dream Mainbocher – The Great Sebastians Helene Pons – The Diary of Anne Frank / Heavenly Twins / A View from the Bridge
Best Conductor and Musical Director	Best Stage Technician
Hal Hastings – Damn Yankees Salvatore Dell'Isola – Pipe Dream Milton Rosenstock – The Vamp	Harry Green, electrician and sound man – Damn Yankees / Middle of the Night Larry Bland, carpenter – Middle of the Night / The Ponder Heart / Porgy and Bess

Special awards

• City Center
• Fourth Street Chekov Theatre
• The Shakespearewrights
• The Threepenny Opera, distinguished Off-Broadway production
• The Theatre Collection of the New York Public Library on its twenty-fifth anniversary, for its distinguished service to the theatre.

Multiple nominations and awards

These productions had multiple nominations:

• 9 nominations: Damn Yankees and Pipe Dream
• 5 nominations: The Chalk Garden, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Lark and Middle of the Night
• 4 nominations: Bus Stop, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Inherit the Wind and Tiger at the Gates
• 3 nominations: Phoenix '55, The Ponder Heart and The Vamp
• 2 nominations: The Great Sebastians, A Hatful of Rain, The Matchmaker, No Time for Sergeants, Tamburlaine the Great, The Threepenny Opera and A View from the Bridge

The following productions received multiple awards.

• 7 wins: Damn Yankees
• 3 wins: Inherit the Wind

Note: The Threepenny Opera also received a Special Tony Award.

External links

• The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards
• Internet Broadway Database, See Awards

Notes and References

1. Zolotow, Sam. "Theatre Wing's 'Tony' Awards Presented at Dinner Here: 'Damn Yankees' and 'Anne Frank' Cited as Top Offerings Producing Trio Scores Again Other Award Winners", The New York Times, April 2, 1956, p. 20
2. Gelb, Arthur. "Popularizing the 'Tony' Awards", The New York Times, April 1, 1956, p.93
3. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0153417.html "1956 Tony Awards (Winners)"
4. http://www2.broadwayworld.com/tonyawardsyear.cfm?year=1956 "1956 Tony Award Winners"