Tony Awards winners 2026: Schmigadoon! and Ragtime sweep top honors

The 79th Tony Awards opened Pride Month with a live, three-hour broadcast that celebrated Broadway’s recent season and handed out more than two dozen trophies on Sunday. Hosted by pop star Pink, the ceremony highlighted a mix of bold revivals, screen-to-stage adaptations and star-studded revivals — developments that will influence casting, tours and future productions.

Top nominees and the race they set up

Musical nominations were dominated by two unexpected contenders: a stage take on the 1987 vampire film and a theatrical version of an Apple TV comedy, each earning a leading share of nods. Close behind was a large-scale revival of an early 20th-century American classic.

• The Lost Boys — 12 nominations
• Schmigadoon! — 12 nominations
• Ragtime — 11 nominations
• Cats: The Jellicle Ball — 9 nominations
• The Rocky Horror Show (revival) — 9 nominations

On the plays side, Arthur Miller’s revival led with nine nominations, while a contemporary family-focused piece and several diverse new productions followed. Those tallies matter beyond trophies: they can drive box-office momentum, encourage national tours and shape awards-season narratives.

• Death of a Salesman (revival) — 9 nominations
• Oedipus — 7 nominations
• Tied with 5 nominations: The Balusters, Fallen Angels, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Liberation

Who’s giving out the awards

The ceremony gathered a long list of presenters from film, TV and music — a deliberate move to underline Broadway’s cultural reach. Their participation underscores how awards night serves as both a promotional stage and a moment of recognition for theatre professionals.

• Adrien Brody
• Annette Bening
• Ariana DeBose
• Ben Platt
• Bernadette Peters
• Billy Crystal
• Bowen Yang
• Brian Stokes Mitchell
• Carrie Coon
• Cole Escola
• Darren Criss
• Jack O’Brien
• Jeremy Pope
• John Leguizamo
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• Kara Young
• Kelli O’Hara
• Kristin Chenoweth
• Law Roach
• Lena Waithe
• Lily Rabe
• Maya Rudolph
• Megan Thee Stallion
• Neil Patrick Harris
• Nicole Scherzinger
• Patrick Wilson
• Paul Rudd
• Rachel Zegler
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson
• Sarah Paulson
• Sting

The mix of film stars, comedians and established theatre figures reinforced the Tonys’ dual role: honoring artistic craft while broadcasting theatrical relevance to wider audiences.

What this night changes

Beyond trophies, the ceremony is a market signal. Shows with multiple nominations often see ticket sales rise, producers secure touring opportunities, and casting notices gain readership. For performers and creative teams, a Tony nod or win can be career-defining; for audiences, it reshapes what’s likely to return to the boards or go on the road.

There was also a clear appetite for reinvention this season — contemporary spins on familiar titles and adaptations from screen to stage ranked among the most-talked-about nominees. That trend could steer programming decisions in the coming seasons as producers chase both critical attention and commercial viability.

Tonight’s ceremony marked a high-profile start to the summer theatre calendar, signaling which artists and productions will dominate conversation — onstage and off — in the months ahead.